Against Her Will
by JazzyCat
Summary: I knew I loved her the moment I saw her. But I didn't want her to know." "I hated that conceited jerk. He was so stuck up!" And they are to be wed. Nejiten. T for language, maybe some violence, or suggestive themes.
1. The Truth

**Tenten**

"Tenten, we have something very important to discuss. Could you join us in the living room please?"

"Sure, Dad," I replied, wondering what he could possibly want. This wasn't going to be a "your mother and I are getting divorced" speech, I knew. My parents were so anti-divorce it wasn't funny.

I'd just gotten home on a Friday and changed out of my school uniform in favor of something more comfortable. Upon my father's request, I stopped combing my hair and walked to the living room, where my mother already sat, a serious look on her face. It was unreadable, so I couldn't tell if this was going to be good news or bad.

I flopped down into the armchair and propped my feet up on the coffee table, waiting for my father to sit as well. He took a seat on the couch next to my mother. They looked at each other before looking back at me.

"So what is this about?" I asked, looking form my father to my mother and back again. I popped the gum I was chewing.

"Uh, well..." my mother began, her voice unsure, but steady all the same. "Tenten, do you understand marriage?"I just blinked dumbly at them.

"Sure. It's a consensual, legal union of two people who are madly in love." I rattled off an idea of the definition of marriage was, and I sounded like the dictionary, I'm sure. My parents stared wide-eyed at my response, disbelieving.

"Well, that's one way to put it." My father said, chuckling and scratching his head. "But there's one word in that sentence that could be considered...um...operative."

"Madly?" I asked. My father only shook his head.

"I was thinking more along the lines of 'consensual'." I thought about that for a moment.

"But if it's not consensual, then it's not really about love, is it? Without love, then it's just a legal union of two people. Yuck." I wrinkled my nose in distaste. My parents exchanged another look. About then, I started to wonder what the point of thatquestion really was.

"Mom, what is this about?" I asked again. The first time, it hadn't been answered. My folks were hesitant. "Mom?" She didn't look at me. "Dad?" Neither could he.

Oh my god, this WAS a "we're getting a a divorce" speech. Suddenly, I felt my mother's hand on my knee.

"Tenten," she said, finally looking me in the eye. "You're fifteen now. I think you should know the truth, and I'm going to be straight with you. "

"About what?"

"You see, when you were born..." she had to stop for a moment. "When you were born, our family made an...agreement...with another family." She stopped, looking at me meaningfully, hoping I'd pick up on the hints. I kept my face as blank as my mind. "Tenten, you're engaged." I let that sink in for a moment, looking down at my hands, which had gone limp in my lap.

"Oh," I said quietly, and I noticed the surprise in my parents' faces. I could tell they were prepared for a full-out hissy fit. Once they let down their guard, though, I stood up and screamed.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!?!?!?!?!?!"

I got 'em good.

------------------

"Tenten...Tenten, come out!"

"No!!"

"Can't we at least talk about this?"

"There's nothing to talk about!" I screamed back.

The pillow I had buried my face in muffled my sobs. But seriously, how COULD they? I was their only daughter, and they had practically sold me off --to someone I didn't even know--at birth! They treated me like property--which, granted, I was--but still! I was a person!

And seriously, who did arranged marriages anymore? that was just so...

"UGH!" I screamed and punched my pillow. When I lifted my face, I could see the mascara that stained the white pillowcase, meaning it was all over my face as well. Sniffling, I padded into my bathroom. The mirror told me all I needed to know.

I got out my facial soap and started scrubbing, soon all traces of makeup and tears were gone, leaving only my plain face. I put on some new mascara, making sure it was waterproof. I promised myself I wouldn't cry anymore.

I popped another CD in the player. Jojo's voice soon filled the room. I plopped back down onto my bed, sitting cross-legged and hugging my pillow to my chest as the lyrics flowed through the room.

_"Used to believe in love  
Used to believe in fairy tales..."_

"Yeah..." I replied to no one in particular. "Me too." And I started crying again.

* * *

**Neji**

I was practicing my fighting in the backyard of my house when my younger cousin, Hanabi, sneaked up beind me. Or tried to anyway. I knew she was there.

"What?" I growled, turning my angry stare on her.

"Your uncle wishes to see you." She said shortly. I tossed my sweat towel over my shoulder and brushed past her, growling "fine," under my breath.

My uncle was in the sitting room at the table, sipping tea gingerly. When he saw me, he put down his cup and gestured that I take a seat. I bowed and took my place on the cushion opposite him.

"You wanted to see me?" I drawled. I hated the man. He was the reason my father was dead.

"Yes, Neji.. As you are now fifteen, I think it only fair to tell you of the arrangement your father made for you." I nodded, accepting his offer.

"Neji...you are to be wed."

I think I might have stopped breathing for a second.

"Okay," I said finally, when I remembered how to inhale. My uncle did a double take.

"Really?" he exclaimed. "Neji, you're being so...agreeable. To be honest, I thought you'd be opposed to this."

"It's my father's wish. I must respect it." I told him. "So who's the girl?"

"Her name is Tenten. She's your age, and from what I've heard, quite pretty."

"Heard from who?"

"Her parents..."

"Parents always say their child is pretty. She's probably not all that great." She was probably deformed. but I was stuck with her.

"When's the wedding?"

"One month." That wasn't very long...oh well. Whatever.

"And you're meeting her tomorrow. Our families are meeting up to start the wedding arrangements."

"Fine." He just blinked at me. He was surprised I was cooperating. In the back of his mind, though, I knew he expected me to flip out later or run away before the wedding.

Something like that.


	2. Disagreement

**Tenten**

I had to leave my room at some point. Before I knew it, dinnertime rolled around, and--having skipped lunch--I was starving. I sneaked downstairs, following the savory scent of my mother's stew.

"Look who's decided to grace us with her presence..." my father said, only to be shushed by my mother, who tolerated no such rudeness.

My mother gave me a bowl. I thanked her and started eating, barely picking at it. After my father's sarcasm, I'd lost my appetite. Even so, I ate the entire bowl, and then got up from the table.

"Hold on a second, Tenten..." my father said. I sat back down, though I was itching to go back to my room for solitude.

"I know you're upset, but we did this for your own good. The young man is a member of a very wealthy family, and we wanted to make sure you were taken care of."

"Dad," I said, looking at him with a straight, serious face, "if he doesn't love me, I won't be taken care of. And if you really wanted the best for me, you'd let me choose my own husband. When I'm ready for one! I don't care if he's wealthy or not!"

"Well, you should! You could end up giving your heart away to some impoverished idiot! And you wouldn't even know it until he ripped it into shreds."

"That would be my problem, not yours! And besides! I wouldn't be so careless! And if you're so worried, why not just send me off to a nunnery?"

My father's jaw clenched, and his eye twitched. His face was turning purple. I didn't take my steely gaze off of him.

"Regardless of whether you agree with the decision, you're going to marry him in a month, and that's final. " I hated him. I really did. "And I want you on your best behavior. You'll be meeting him tomorrow."

Fine. He might as well see what he was getting. I'd be sure to "dress appropriately".

"And if I refuse?"

"You won't."

"You know this how?"

"I'll make your life very hard if you refuse."

"You already have," I retorted, and stomped up into my room again.

---------------

I locked my door and flung myself onto the bed again.

It was so unfair! I couldn't believe they would do that to me, it was unbearable!

I got up and put another CD in the player, this time My Chemical Romance. I need the upbeat, fast songs. I skipped right through the slow tracks and went straight to the almost dance-y songs with the crazy guitar solos. I turned up the volume until it was mind-numbingly loud, and sat down at my computer desk, turning on the little PC.

While it booted up, I planned out my entry. I needed to blow some steam, and blogging was my vent Anytime I was angry or upset, I would upload my feelings onto the internet for others to read and assess. Very often, there would be someone out there with a story to compare to mine.

Although I felt horrible for it, knowing there were people out there who were worse off than I was made me feel better. Plus I got a lot of sympathy, which I really appreciated in my times of need. This time, I expected to get TONS of comments.

The computer finally started up--it was practically a dinosaur--and then it took another few minutes to connect to the internet. While I waited, I reached under my bed for my secret stash of chocolate. I kept it a secret because my mother disapproved of anything sugary, and had therefore forbade me from eating candy. Ever.

Did that stop me?

No.

My fingers danced across the keys as I logged in to my blog and my MSN messenger. I composed my entry, and looked it over once before posting it.

_READERS! I HAVE TRAGIC NEWS!!_ It read.

_So here's a little story that happened today. I came home after an uneventful day at school and my parents wanted to talk to me. SO, I joined them in the living room. They were all hesitant and awkward, and finally, they just came out and said what they wanted to say._

_I'm engaged. Have been since birth. _

_Readers, I am going to meet my husband-to-be tomorrow afternoon, and I would just like to vent a bit. _

_How could they DO this to me? I'm their only daughter and they're just giving me up! At such a young age! I feel so unwanted!_

_They couldn't even give a good reason for doing it!_

_Whatever! I'm so mad I could spit, and I have yelled at my parents for QUITE a while. I'll never be able to date who I want, marry who I want, or have kids with the man I want to, because I HAVE TO MARRY A COMPLETE STRANGER!!!_

_I planned on divorcing him, but I recently found, through internet research, that there is no way for me to call off this type of marriage. I could die right now. I really could.  
_

_This might be the last entry for a while. There will be lots of wedding planning that I will inevitably be dragged into. Sorry guys. Thanks for reading. Thanks for caring._

I ended the entry there, and then posted it. I signed onto MSN and IMed my three best friends.

**Tenten**: Can you guys come over? It's kinda important.  
**Ino**: Sure. Be there in 5  
**Sakura**: Same  
**Tenten**: Use my window. Not the door.  
**Hinata:** we're on our way.

We all signed off and I checked my emails as I waited for them. Before I knew it, they had arrived.

_**Tap Tap**_

They awaited entry to the room, which I gave them. I opened the window and let them in. They immediately took their usual seats on my bed.

"You said this was important," Ino said. "What did you want to say?"

I spun around in my computer chair, looking at my feet.

"Tenten, what's wrong?" Sakura asked. She and Hinata were giving me worried looks, while Ino's was just curious.

"Uh, yeah...um...bad news." I said.

I might as well just tell them.

* * *

**Neji**

After I practiced, I showered and relaxed in my room. My family was not very close at all. Since my father was dead, I lived with my uncle--my father's brother--and my two cousins. I avoided them as much as I could.

Instead, I spent a lot of time in my room, doing work, or reading. I was a quiet guy.

That day, I decided to go on the internet a bit. I was feeling bored, so I decided to surf. I flew past many sites on Google, and decided I might as well check my email, since nothing else could amuse me.

I read them one by one. There were only a few. On the last one, several pop-ups littered my laptop screen. Annoyed, I trashed them one by one. But, the last one caught my eye.

"Come read these outrageous blogs!"

Being as curious as I was, I clicked it, and it brought me to the main page of a blog website. Along one side of the screen were recent entries. One of which was entitled "I have tragic news". I clicked it, intrigued.

"_So here's a little story that happened today. I came home after an uneventful day at school and my parents wanted to talk to me. SO, I joined them in the living room..."_

I finished the entry. It was all about this girl whining about an arranged marriage. I felt her pain, but she was just too whiny. It was too much to take. SO I commented.

"You should respect your parents' decision for you more. They know more than you do."

Of course, I didn't know who I was talking to.


	3. Best Friends

**Tenten**

"So, I had a little talk with my parents. I learned something about my birth today..."

"You're adopted?" Ino guessed.

"What? NO! I mean, maybe, but that's not it! If I am, that's not what they told me." I took a deep breath. "They told me I was betrothed at birth." I said it quickly to get it over with.

There was silence.

"You're WHAT?!?" The three of them screamed. I shushed them.

"Shh!! My parents don't know you're here!!"

"Are you serious? They've got you engaged? What the hell? Is that even LEGAL?"

"I guess so, since it's HAPPENING!" I grabbed fistfuls of my hair and started tugging. "I hate this!!!" I was close to tears again, and they'd only been there for a few minutes.

"Wow...that's really...oh my god. That really just..." Hinata couldn't finish her sentences.

"You think it sucks? Trying living it!" I was about to cry for real, but I pushed my tears back in. "I swear, I want to DIE!"

"Don't start talking like that!" Sakura yelled. I'd forgotten that her boyfriend was still suicidal. "This might not be what you wanted, but you can learn to deal, at least. I mean, it's not like they're selling you off to a pervert or anything."

She had a point.

Damn.

"I guess...but I still HATE THIS!"

"That's to be expected." We all sighed. Everything seemed hopeless at that moment. "So there's really nothing you can do to get out of this?"

"Nope. I checked. I did searches on the internet. I looked it up in those old books that every family seems to have in their attics. You know, the one with, like, rules for random things like this. The only thing I haven't done is ask my parents. And I won't, because even if there is a way, they won't tell me what it is. They've made it clear that they want me to go through with this." I put my head in my hands. "It's just so unfair." My palms were getting wet with the tears I'd been holding back. "Now I'll never be able to live the life that I wanted."

"Why not? You can make the most of this!" Ino said.

"I can't date who I want, or marry who I want, or have kids with who I want. That's why. My parents just practically gave me away at birth! Damn, I feel unwanted."

"Well, WE love you," Sakura said, throwing her arms around my neck in a reassuring hug. "And don't ever forget that."

"I won't. You guys are the best."

"So do you know when you're going to meet him? It's not going to be one of those "don't meet till you're at the altar" things is it?" Ino asked.

"Oh, yeah. I meet him tomorrow. Can you believe? They've had this planned for years and they tell me NOW that I'm going to get married, and I'm meeting my husband-to-be tomorrow! They should have given me more warning. Now I'll have no time to pick out an outfit"

"We'll help!" Hinata said, as enthusiastic as she could be without sounding freaked out. And with that, she walked boldly to my closet and began to pull things out of it.

After almost an hour, I'd forgotten all about my fiancee, marriage, and being angry at my parents. Instead I focused on finding a good pair of shoes.

"I've got it!" Ino cried. She gave me a pair of red flats, denim capris, and a cute baby-doll top I didn't even know I had.

"Um..they'll want me to dress up for sure..."

"Well, wear this under it or bring it to change into!" She said. "And do something with your hair!" My hand flew self-consciously to my head.

"What's wrong with it?"

"You wear it the same way everyday! Do something prettier with it!"

"Like what?"

"Leave it down," Sakura suggested. "It's pretty that way."

"Okay," I said, but I'd be putting it up when I went. Ino loved to play with other people's hair, especially mine, and, unfortunately, all I could do was sit while she experimented with different styles. And sitting gave me time to think, which made tears come forward again.

"Hey, hey, don't cry!" Ino threw an arm around my shoulders. "It'll be alright!"

"But I'm going to have to live with this guy I don't even know!"

"You don't have to talk to him! Or cook for him, or sleep in the same bed, or see him ever. You can stay over at my house anytime you need to."

"Mine too!" Sakura said. Hinata stayed quiet, which made me wonder if something was wrong. She probably just had a big family or something. It was fine by me. She didn't need to offer.

"I'm going to have you guys over as soon as I can. I don't want to be alone with him." A shudder ran down my spine.

"But...you don't even know him!" Hinata said.

"Exactly!"

"But what if he's really nice?"

"Well, we don't know that yet. And until I'm sure, I really don't want to be alone with him." I said. She looked at the floor.

"Done!" Ino said. She had resumed fixing my hair, and was now finished. She allowed me to see the mirror.

"Ino, what have you done?" She had put my hair up into three braids and them tied them into a ponytail coming from the top of my head. I looked stupid. The three of them just laughed. Ino grabbed a sprizter bottle from my dresser and began to drench the stupid hair style.

"What are you doing now?"

"Just watch and see." She kept working, making me really curious. Once she was finished, she patted my head.

"Leave it like that. Take it out in the morning. Trust me, it'll look great!" I narrowed my eyes at her, hoping she was right. Whether I liked the guy or not, I was going to have to marry him, and I was meeting him tomorrow. I didn't want my first impression to be ruined by me looking ugly.

"Wow, it's late. We should go, Tenten." Sakura said, throwing a glance at the clock. "Sorry."

"It's fine," I said sadly. I didn't want to be alone. "Do you guys want to go out for coffee tomorrow? I'm not meeting the family until the afternoon."

"Souds good!." Sakura and Ino said simultaneously.

"I have family plans tomorrow. Sorry."

"It's fine, Hinata." I showed them to the window. "See you guys later." They climbed out one by one and disappeared into the darkness.

Sad and not tired in the least, I sat back down at my computer.

* * *

**Neji**

I went to bed around midnight, but I was unable to sleep. All I could think about was what my future wife would be like. Knowing teenage girls her age, she'd be evil.

Bitchy, selfish, and horrible, but she'd probably be pretty. Because that's how things worked in high school.

I rolled over to look at my clock. Without my even realizing it, it had become two in the morning. I'd be meeting her in about twelve hours. Joy. We'd meet for the first time, then we'd be married and have to spend the rest of our lives with each other.

For all the trouble I go through for him, my father better love me.

After another hour, I gave up on sleep and got up. I put on a shirt and sneaked out through my window.

Although I wasn't allowed to leave the estate, a walk through the garden in the moonlight sounded relaxing.


	4. First Encounter

**Tenten**

It was about eight in the morning, and I thought I'd be able to sneak out to meet the girls, but my mother was already awake. I cursed under my breath and tried to get out through my window, but she'd heard me, and came through the door.

"Tenten! You're awake...hey, wait what are you...GET YOUR LEG BECK IN THIS ROOM THIS INSTANT YOUNG LADY!" She screamed. I'd been half out of the window when she'd barged in. I pulled my leg back in reluctantly, and sighed, my shoulders sagging. "And what HAVE you done to your hair?" I reached up and touched the three-braid thing that Ino had done. I couldn't very well tell my mother the truth. So I fibbed. 

"I tried something new."

"What, exactly is that supposed to accomplish?" My mother raised an eyebrow as if she were skeptical. Personally, I was too, but I couldn't tell her that. Or Ino. 

"I dunno, I was just sorta experimenting." Not entirely a lie. "Besides, if it's a mess, I've got, like, six hours before we leave. I've got time to wash it out."

"Wrong."

"What?"

"Your father is retarded, I swear. It turns out that our meeting was scheduled for noon, not two." I stared. 

"You're not messing with me, are you?" She shook her head from side to side, slowly. "That means..." I had very little time to see my friends. Thinking fast, I leaped over my bed and ran past my mother and down the stairs. 

"Where are you going?" she called after me. 

"Errands!" I shouted over my shoulder, and slammed the door behind me. 

* * *

"Sorry I'm late, guys!" I panted. I was bent slight, resting with my hand on my knees. The two of them--Sakura and Ino--were sitting at a table in our favorite cafe. 

"What took ya so long?" Ino asked. 

"My mom was onto me...and then she told me our meeting was bumped up." I waved my hand as if to say "etc, etc." She nodded understandingly. I plopped into a seat next to her and called a waitress and ordered my usual. "I was in a real hurry to get out of the house."

"I can tell." Sakura pointed to my head. I put my hands up there and felt...three odd braids tied together at the top of my head. I hadn't done anything with my hair before I left the house. Quickly, before anyone else saw it, I ripped the rubber bands from the ends of may hair and let the braids tumble down on their own, shaking my head to loosen the plaits. My hair fell onto my shoulders and in front of my eyes, and I could see the waves that it had left. 

"See," Ino said. "I told you it'd be gorgeous." I sighed. I'd look at it later--and probably wash it out, too--but for now, I just wanted to relax. 

My coffee arrived, and I sipped the foam from the top. 

"What's wrong?"

"What do you mean?"

"Look, we know when something's wrong."

"Guess."

"Well, it's unavoidable, so you should probably make the best of it."

"But...but..." I couldn't think of anything to say that I hadn't already said. "You're right." I listened to them talk about their social lives, but my thoughts were elsewhere. For starters, what would this guy be like?

If he was the age I thought he was, he'd be childish and rude. For sure. 

But cute. Because that's how things turned out. I didn't even know his name...

"Tenten. Hey...TENTEN." I jumped, nearly spilling coffee down my lap. 

"Huh?"

"Go home! It's ten thirty!"

"Shit!" I hugged them goodbye quickly and sprinted for the door, nearly colliding with someone on the way. 

I raced home, my wild hair flailing out behind me, and my coat falling off one shoulder. I got through my front door to see angry parents. 

"Where were you?"

"I told you, errands."

"Go get ready, we leave in an hour."

"Okay," I squeaked, and slid past them, heading to my room. On my bed was a poofy dress that looked like something my mother would've worn to prom. 

_Dude, _I thought to myself, _fuck that! _I pulled my own dress from my closet, as well as shorts and a t-shirt. It was a warm day, and if they intended to send me and Neji off together, I wasn't going to look like I was headed to a wedding. I took a quick look in the mirror and threw my hair back into a bun, since I had no time to shower and blow dry. It was, according to my parents, it was a half hour drive. They were probably just lying to get me to hurry up. 

Well, it worked. I put my clothes on hurriedly and found my shoes under the bed--flats that would look good with either outfit. I checked myself over in the mirror one last time, and decided I looked fine. 

_Time to go. **Good luck, **_my reflection seemed to say. "Thanks." I smoothed my dress one last time and joined my parents.

* * *

**Neji**

"Neji! Neji, where are you?" I heard them calling to me, and ignored them. I'd sneaked out last night for a walk and just...hadn't gone back to my room. Instead, I'd hid out on the roof, the one place they never thought to look for me. I'd hidden there before.

The family of my betrothed was coming today. I was supposed to be dressed by now. They didn't know, but I'd already showered, at about four this morning, when everyone was still asleep. All I needed to do was get dressed in those ugly clothes. The ones I never dragged out unless there was a wedding, which...now that I think about it, there will be. Mine. I had yet to tell my "friends"at school, and wasn't sure I was going to. 

"Neji, please, come out! They're going to be here soon!" Fine. Let them come. I didn't care. Well, I did. 

I'd rather marry someone of my choice, even though I DID think I should honor my father's final wish for me. I loved my dad, so why shouldn't I? No reason, that's why. 

"Neji, they're here!" Really? I peeked over the edge of the roof. Indeed they were. There were two females and a male. The younger of the two women I hoped was my fiancee. The man was hopefully her father. 

The man had an intense look on his face, and it matched his wife's annoyed one. Neither of them were particularly good looking. I couldn't see the daughter's face from the angle I was at, so I didn't know if I liked her appearance or not. 

I climbed through my window and got dressed, taking care to out on a t-shirt under the button up and wearing jeans instead of the itchy dress pants provided. I'd get looks of disapproval, but I knew we weren't staying in the house that long anyway. 

"Neji!" I slid open the door. "Oh, there you are!" The maid grabbed me by the hand and dragged me down the stairs. Before we entered the living room, she gave me a once over, licking her thumb to remove a smudge of dirt on my face, quickly fixing my hair--which I kept long, so required keeping--and straightening the outfit I was wearing, looking at it disapprovingly, but there was nothing she could do. I heard my uncle exchange his greetings, and then compliment the mother and daughter. They thanked him politely, but I couldn't tell if my uncle was sincere in his compliment to the girl. Suddenly he announced me and I stepped forward. 

The parents were even less attractive and more aged-looking up close, but they seemed like nice-enough people. Their daughter, Tenten, was gorgeous. 

I knew I loved her the moment I saw her. But, judging by the glare she was giving me, that wasn't something I should tell her right away.


	5. Date

**Tenten**

I followed him, and watched him walk. He had a nice gait, and wide shoulders, and he was cute...NO! I was still pissed at my parents. I didn't want to marry this guy. I didn't want to KNOW this guy. I cut off all thoughts like that. Instead, I focused on the real question--who did he remind me of?

His eyes...they were so familiar! They looked like Hinata's. Maybe he was a Hyuga. Ha. What a ridiculous theory. I brushed it out of my head and took my seat beside Neji at the table in the dining room. It was the only available place, so I guessed it was where I was meant to be. I sat on the edge of the chair, leaning away from him, and more towards my parents. 

"I'd like my family to be present for this, if you don't mind," Neji's uncle said. 

"Not at all, go right ahead." My father was all too willing to have as many witnesses as possible. Neji's uncle beckoned with one hand, and in walked two girls, about my age, but one was younger. The younger girl had long hair, and sat beside her father, in the chair I hadn't seen, and behind her, Hinata walked in and sat beside the other girl. My jaw dropped. 

"Hinata?" I said incredulously. She couldn't look at me. She must've known all along. 

No wonder I'd thought he'd looked like her. They were cousins. I felt really, really stupid. But what really got me was that she knew. One of my best friends knew and didn't tell me. It brought me close to tears, but for the sake of appearances--my mother'd taught me something--I held them back. Once everyone had settled, Neji's uncle, Hiashi, cleared his throat and began discussing the wedding. 

"Now, the date?"

"We'd rather have sometime in the summer, if it's possible," My mother said, and Neji interrupted. 

"Wait, you told me the date was already decided." 

"Well, it was, but recently, I discovered it was changeable. How old are you, Neji?"

"Fifteen."

"And you, Tenten?"

"Fifteen." 

"Well, I'm sure both of you are aware that in Konoha, marriage is illegal until age sixteen. We have no choice but to move the date"

"That makes sense," My father said, trying to seem like he was making a contribution to the conversation. It was the first thing he'd said since we got there. I rolled my eyes at him. 

"Neji turns sixteen next month. And Tenten?"

"Next month as well." 

"Excellent." Excellent? It was only March! I was getting married. It was not EXCELLENT! It was all far from excellent. "Then why don't we schedule it for sometime in May? That way we have a little time."

"May sounds great," my mother said."Sunny, warm, anything after that is too humid." All the adults agreed. Neji couldn't look away from me, I couldn't take my eyes off of Hinata, and Hinata looked at the table. Hanabi stared at her father, trying to understand the conversation Once it was over, I'm sure she'd have a hundred questions. 

"Neji." I jumped as Hiashi suddenly spoke, though it was to his nephew, not me. "Why don't you and Tenten take a walk while her parents and I discuss the legal issues." I was completely against this. I didn't want to be alone with this guy. I didn't know him. I didn't want to know him. But my parents...

"That's a GREAT idea!" My mother said. "You two should really get to know each other better." My father nodded in agreement. Before I could even look at them, I was ushered out the door, Neji at my side. 

"Well..." he said. 

"Well indeed." I kept my eyes fixed on my feet. Neji looked at the tree in the front yard. 

"You've got extra clothes on under that, don't you?"

"How'd you know?"

"You're not stupid. Ditch 'em. Let's go." He started walking. I followed. I unzipped the back of my dress as I walked and pulled it off over my head, revealing the other outfit I was wearing. Neji had taken off his button-front shirt, revealing a tee. We threw them in the tree above us as we left the Hyuga property. 

"Techinically," he said to me as we reached the gate, "I'm not allowed to leave the estate. But I think a walk in the garden will bore you to tears." He checked around before grabbing my hand. "Let's go!" he shouted, and started running, pulling me along with him. 

I guess he wasn't all that bad. 

* * *

**Neji**

I was hoping she wasn't going to slap me for grabbing her hand like that, but I really wasn't supposed to leave the estate. If we were going to get out of there, we needed to run. Sure, they'd find me later, and I'd probably get scolded, but if I could get her to smile, to trust me, it was worth it. 

The corners of her mouth had been turned down as if in disapproval since she got to the house. Half the time, she looked as though she as going to burst into tears, but held it off. I was impressed with how she as taking all of this. 

Once we were clear of the property, I dropped her hand and turned to look at her. She was panting a bit from the run, but seemed fine. Once she caught her breath, she straightened up and surveyed her surroundings. 

"Where are we?" She asked. 

"My part of town." She raised an eyebrow. "Okay, okay, this is just the place I go when I run away. People know me here." I led her to the main street. "You hungry?"

"No. I went out with my friends for breakfast this morning. Might be the last time I see them for a while." I nodded, understanding perfectly. If I'd had any real friends, I would've done the same. 

We walked a little while in silence, before I figured it was probably a good idea to go back. I told Tenten about this, and she agreed. 

"Do you...think that if we're forced on another one of these "dates", do you think we could come back here? It seems like a nice place."

"Where you can just get away from it all? Sure thing." She still didn't smile, but the fact that she talked to me without malice or sarcasm felt nice. "I'd come here any day." 

We walked back without speaking again, and slipped our clothes back on before walking through the front door. The parents were finished, and having coffee, laughing about what I presumed were funny stories of Tenten and my childhood. We entered, and they immediately stopped, deciding to wrap things up. 

Tenten and her parents grabbed their things and said goodbye. The brunette waved before disappearing behind the door. My uncle beckoned me to the table.

"Don't you want to know what we talked about?"

"The legal issues behind this arranged marriage," I quoted. 

"I meant what we said."

"Not really." I said curtly, and walked back to my room. i had no problems with this marriage, but I wanted to get closer to Tenten first. If we got closer, then this wouldn't seem quite as awkward. And maybe she'd come to like me. 


	6. After

**Tenten**

At school on Monday, I ran into Hinata in the halls. She asked if she could speak with me, I agreed.

"So what is it?"

"U-m..."

"Hinata, class is starting soon, and I don't mean to be rude, but if you're not..."

"I'm sorry!" She clasped her hands together and held them in front of her face. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before! I was...sworn to secrecy by my father. I couldn't tell anyone, and he didn't eve know you were my best friend. He just thoguht if I told someone then they'd tell someone, and...you know how the chain goes."

"Hinata..." I kept saying while she talked, trying to keep her from rambling. "Hinata, it's okay." She blinked at me for a second.

"It...it is?"

"Yeah. I'm not mad. Even if you'd told me, there was nothing I could do. There wasn't even anything I could benefit from it." I shrugged. "Besides, your cousin isn't all that bad. I mean, sure I don't want to be forcibly wed to him, he's not a bad guy." She widened her eyes at me.

"You really think so?" She said it like she'd expected otherwise.

"Yeah. I mean, we've only been out once, and it wasn't even really a real date, but he was still nice. He wasn't at all like I thought he'd be."

"I see." She looked at her feet thoughtfully. The bell rang, so I said goodbye and hurried to class. She waved and headed to hers. I sat in my seat, and let the teacher start the lesson, though I ignored her completely. I was still peeved with my parents, though less so now that I'd met the guy.

He was nice. But I didn't love him.

* * *

"Mom, he's nice, but I don't love him." I told her after school. She was cooking dinner, and I sat at the kitchen table doing my homework.

"Well, of course not, honey. You've only met once. You can't expect that love at first sight stuff to happen. I don't even believe in it." She tested the rice she was cooking. It didn't suit her tastes, so she added more spice and kept stirring. "Why are you worried, sweetie?"

"Well, don't you think I should marry someone I love?"

"Well, you know that old saying. 'If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with'. For you, that's Neji."

"Ugh." I got up and went to my room. I was fed up with this. Maybe I wanted to be friends with him, but I hardly knew him. They expected me to marry him? I didn't think so. No thanks.

I was going to look until I died. If there was a way to call this whole thing off, I was going to find it. But it would require some work, and I was sure they'd try to find a way around what ever I found, but I'd convince them. I'd just have to go along with whatever they wanted until I could get what I wanted. That was the way to do things in this business.

Or at least, that's what they say on those crime dramas my mother watches.

* * *

I started after everyone went to sleep. I booted up the computer, muffling the startup noises with my pillow, since I was supposed to be in bed. When it finally quieted, I got online and started searching. I googled every type of arranged marriage known to Konoha, and some that weren't. I found the type that my parents had made. It had a name I couldn't pronounce, but the criteria was all correct.

We were promised at birth, to be wed at sixteen, (the legal minimum of wherever we lived), and we had absolutely no say in any of it. According to all the information the glorious internet had to offer, the only ones who could terminate the engagement were the parents who made the promise. Mine would never do that.

Fuck.

I was absolutely screwed. And what was worse, by the time I finished looking, it was almost three in the morning. I wanted to sleep, but less than eight hours was never good for me. I'd crash in class. I had to stay up the rest, so I just played games. I tried to take my mind off of it, but I just wound up crying into my pillow until it was time to wake up.

Dammit. What had I done to deserve this?

* * *

**Neji**

Well, I'd met her. She was nothing like what I'd expected. Sure, she didn't exactly warm up to me right away; I hadn't even seen her smile yet, but I still liked her. Maybe even loved her. I knew that much. Although I was a teenage boy, I knew how to read the majority of my hormones.

My little excursion into town had cost me a week or freedom. I was now on "house arrest", as my uncle called it. It was more like room arrest. I couldn't leave my bedroom, not that it mattered. I had meals brought to me, and I had my own bathroom and shower. In essence, I never needed to leave.

But I wanted to. At night, when no one was watching me, I sneaked out into the garden. I dared not leave the estate, in case they _were_ watching me, but I couldn't be confined to my room like that. I was a teenager. I needed air, at the very least. The only good thing about this was that I got to miss school during my punishment.

I knew my uncle hated me. I hated him right back. I knew the only reason he was doing this was because my father asked him to, and because he wanted to get rid of me as soon as he could. If he loved me, he might have just disregarded the entire thing and let me choose my own bride.

But at least this way I got out of his life and out on my own. I'd have my own place, a wife, and I'd be able to get a job. I already had one, but I'd be able to get a better one.

My uncle had already told me what they'd been discussing in my and Tenten's absence. They'd rented an apartment, and intended to move us in immediately. We were going to be living together from now until we died. They wanted us to get closer before the wedding. While the renovations were being finished, we were to stay in our own homes as we were now, but in a few days, we'd be moving in.

I was sure she wasn't going to take it well, but I was hoping we could make the best of it. I mean, I hoped she saw me as a friend at the least, so I was hoping she could trust me.

I hoped.


	7. School?

**Tenten**

"Tenten, that guy's staring at you," Sakura said, her voice low so as not to alert the guy that she knew.

We were at a cafe. It was one in the afternoon, and Ino, Sakura, Hinata and I had decided to skip school and go out. Life was too much to handle sometimes. It was a Wednesday afternoon, the day of Neji and my second "date". That was what kept me going. Now I had random guys hitting on me in cafes.

"You sure? It could be you."

"No, no, it's you. I'm sure of it." She swished her pink hair over her shoulder, pretending she wasn't watching his every move. "Want me to tell him off?"

"Well, I'm engaged," I said that just loudly enough for the guy to hear, and I hoped he got it. He seemed to. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement, and Sakura turned back to me.

"He's gone," she announced cheerfully. I sighed in relief, but at the same time, I was frustrated. I missed the days when we'd come down here and flirt with guys from across the room. When we'd let our hair loose--I never did that part--and wink provocatively at the cuties. I missed those days.

I should, however, get more in before the wedding. It was going to be my last chance, though I'd ruined it with everyone in that cafe. We'd have to go somewhere else. Maybe another time.

"Let's go, ladies. I've got an urge to shop." Not entirely a lie. I wanted something nice to wear, but more than anything, I wanted to get the hell out of the restaurant and do something that would make the time pass more quickly. Ino was all too happy to hear of my request.

"Yes!" She pumped her fists in the air. "We are gonna dress you up!" She couldn't stop grinning. Sakura soon joined her. Hinata looked worriedly at me, as though she feared for my safety. I, frankly, was also afraid.

"Okay, guys, don't go overboard. We're not, like, shopping for my wedding gown, or anything, so leave that kind of stuff out of it... I'm talking to myself, aren't I?" The two of them weren't listening. Hinata once again looked at me, concerned. Before I knew it, Ino grabbed one arm, Sakura grabbed the other, we'd thrown some money on the table, and I was being dragged out of there.

"Guys! Guys! Hey!" It was no use. They were chattering about what colors would be best on me. I didn't think--since they mentioned color--they were looking for a wedding dress, but they were probably going to get me into something disgustingly girlie. I knew that I was in for a long torture session.

Hey, at least later, when I was with Neji, it would seem all the better.

I was finally able to walk on my own, and instead of being dragged, I was being pulled. The first stop was a boutique--one that we frequented. They knew us well enough there, that they all knew our sizes, preferences, and absolute NO's.

"Good afternoon!" Ino said loudly as we burst through the doors. "We've got a lucky girl here who needs something pretty to wear. She's got a hot date," she put unnecessary emphasis on 'Hot'.

"It's not..."

"Hush, darling, you're well taken care of here," on the of the sales girls...actually the gay sales guy...said to me as he took over in dragging me to a dressing room. He then closed and locked the door and began throwing things to me over the door from the outside.

"Try those and tell me what's good."

"I'm screwed..."

* * *

**Neji**

"So, you got a girlfriend, or what?"

"Huh?" I asked, dumbfounded by the question.

"You're acting all spacey. You got a girlfriend or are you just stupid?"

"Is it any of your business?"

"I guess not..."

"Then stay out of mine." I said curtly, shooing the guy away. I hated all boy's schools. The guys were barbaric, and there wasn't a hint of class anywhere. Everything was disgusting, and the teachers were terrified, meaning we never got anything done in class. Even now, sitting in history, there was talking. The professor just decided not to care anymore. If you didn't pay attention, you failed, simple as that.

The only thing I had to look forward to was my meeting later today.

I twirled a pencil in my fingers and rested my head in my hand. Sighing, a started doodling on the sheet of paper in front of me, not even pretending to listen. No one cared.

"What's on your mind?" Sasuke asked. I looked at him out of the corner of my eyes, raising one brow. "I don't care, just thought you might want to tell someone," he defended.

"Not much. Family stuff." It wasn't far from the truth.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah. Really."

"Okay."

"Okay." I went back to my doodling.

I missed Tenten.

"Who's Tenten?" I heard a voice say in my ear. Dammit, it was Sasuke.

"Where'd you hear that name?"

"You're writing it on your paper." He pointed. Shit. I was. I crumpled the paper.

"No one."

"Oh really?" No, not really.

"Yeah. Really."

Wow. I lied to my best friend. If you could call him a friend. We hung out a few times, but whenever we did, we just sat around not talking. We listened to music, or read, but we really didn't talk. We were kind of quiet guys.

I'd never lied to him before. I wonder if he could tell. Probably. But he didn't pry, thankfully. He just sat back down and closed his eyes. I sighed. I'd tell him sooner or later. I had to focus on the problem at hand: making sure Tenten didn't try to beat me up when she learned we'd have to love together.

I swear, sometimes I think my parents are just sick. What the hell?


	8. Out on the Town

**Tenten**

I walked down the street, the sun moving off to the west of the sky, stretching my shadow on the road. It was a lonely shadow, as my parents didn't want to accompany me on this excursion. They decided, that after meeting once, to let me walk to Neji's house on my own.

I sometimes wondered if my parents were sane.

I tried to remember the way, though the first time around, I'd been a little busy thinking about how much I hated my parents at that moment, and wasn't paying much attention to where said parents were leading me. Luckily, they'd given me directions on a slip of paper, and I clung to it like my life depended on it, sneaking a peek at it every few seconds, almost like I was checking if it was still there.

"Where's the damn house?" I passed a house that looked familiar, pink shutters weren't exactly commonplace. "I think we took a right..." I hoped I was right.

I was! There was the house, halfway down the road. I saw it from a different angle, but I knew it was the right house. I almost skipped up the path and knocked on the door. A moment later, it was answered by Neji's uncle, Hiashi.

"Welcome," he said, bowing slightly. I returned the bow.

"Thanks."

"Neji's up in his room. You can meet him there. He's not supposed to leave his room this week," he informed me, "but that doesn't mean you can--"

"I got it. You don't have to say it," I replied, cutting him off, but trying to be as polite as I could. I really didn't even want to think about that kind of thing. It would seem he understood.

"His room is up the stairs around the corner, third door on the left." I nodded my thanks and headed upstairs. I rounded the corner, and found the door. I knocked softly.

"Come in," I heard his voice from inside. I turned the handle slowly and stepped into his room. Everything was clean and neat. He had a big bed shoved into one corner, and a wardrobe in the opposite corner, and old antique-looking dresser nestled beside it.

"Hi, Neji," I said, almost shyly. He looked up from where he was sprawled across his bed.

"Oh, hi!" He seemed somewhat surprised to see me. He sat up. "What's up?"

"My parents set up another "meeting"." I shrugged. "So, here I am."

"Cool. Let's get out of here."

'Wha? I thought you were supposed to stay here?"

"Do you always do what you're told?"

"No..."

"Then let's go." He opened his window and climbed up onto the sill, crouching there, balanced on the balls of his feet before he threw a look over his shoulder at me. "You coming?" I hurried over, not wanting to be left behind. He leaped the distance from the sill to the tree as if it were nothing, but it was at least six feet--something I could never jump. Once he'd gotten balanced on the tree branch, he turned. "Come on,"

"I can't jump that!" I exclaimed quietly, not wanting to draw attention. "Are you crazy?"

"It's not as hard as it looks."

"Nice try, but no dice. Not jumping. That's _suicide._"

"I made it, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but you're much taller, and more athletic than I am."

"True, but really, it's easy, now either stop chattering and hurry or we're going to be caught. " He looked frantically down at the front door which could be seen from his position.

"Why are they after you?"

"Well, I'm on 'house arrest'. But if I'm with you, they won't bother with me. They see it as an opportunity for us to get to know each other, or whatever." He moved to a different branch so that I could jump to the one he'd just vacated. "Hurry, someone's coming." He ducked into a thick of twigs, which hid him surprisingly well. I backed away from the window, but no one was there. I peeked, and there was only an empty yard. Neji poked his head out of hiding, looking at me expectantly.

Alright, fine.

Stepping back, I got a running start. I leaped onto the sill, pushed off, and went flying through the air, coming nearly two feet short of the target. Fortunately, I'd planned this out. I grabbed an overhead branch and used it like monkey bars, swinging onto the branch beside Neji. His face had gone from calm to scared to calm again, and once again to scared when I landed and my foot slipped out from under me.

"Shit!" I whispered, and his hand shot out, pulling me back to the safety of the tree. I stayed there for a moment before my heart calmed a bit. "Thanks," I panted. I'd nearly died. My entire life flashed before my eyes as my foot gave way. He let go of my hand quickly, after noticing he was holding it longer than necessary, and started climbing down. That, I could do, and I followed. Once on the ground, Neji started running without hesitation, and I followed again, struggling to keep up with him.

"Wait up!"

"Sorry." We were clear of the property, he slowed, and I bent, breathing hard, hands on my knees.

"So...where are we...going?" I asked.

"Town." I smiled, walking a bit faster to catch up to him.

"Cool!" I thought I saw a smile out of the corner of his eyes, but I couldn't be sure. It was a cute smile, if it wasn't just my imagination.

I followed him silently for a while before I realized we were there. We just wandered the streets aimlessly. Something I noticed now that I hadn't before--some of the guys around here didn't look too nice. In fact, a lot of them looked just plain mean. Like a kidnapper or a rapist. I moved closer to Neji.

"Don't worry," he reassured me, "they're not as bad as they look. And they wouldn't touch you while I'm here." I felt better, but still never let down my guard.

"Where are we going?"

"I thought I'd introduce you to some friends of mine." Sounded good to me.

* * *

**Neji**

I led her to a small bookshop on the other side of town. It was a bit of a walk, but she didn't seem bothered by it, although she never strayed from my side. She might have been scared, but she hid it well, and I was impressed.

The bookshop was still open, and as we arrived, the lights were being turned on to combat the growing darkness outside. I headed straight in and to the back, into the storeroom.

"Kei!" I called out, waiting for the reply.

"Yes?" Out from behind a stack of books popped the head of the bookstore. His hair was a brownish-red and grew past his shoulders. He wore the greenest short I've ever seen over a yellow t-shirt, and his glasses were big as ever, magnifying his eyes to twice their actual size. All in all, he looked a bit like a video-game junkie, but once you actually got to know him, even a little, you'd know that was far from the truth.

He was the one who'd helped me out the first time I'd run away. I'd found him in his bookstore and he looked down at me from over the counter, as I was still quite short then, and greeted me like I was his best friend.

"Hey, there!" He'd said with a big smile. I knew instantly that I'd liked him. Even though he was weird, it was a good weird.

"Hi Kei," I said, waving. "What's new?"

"Not much, we got a new shipment in that I think they missed a box of, because we're short, and I can't find my key to the lock-box. By the way, have you seen Michiko? She didn't show up today, and I've been wondering what happened."

"No clue. I've been locked in my room the past three days. Your key to the lock-box is on the keychain in your pocket like it always is, and your extra box is out front, I passed it on the way in. Want me to bring it back?"

"Please." He pulled the keychain from his pocket and tossed it in the air, catching it before heading to the safe in the back of the storeroom. "By the way, who's your friend?"

"Her name's Tenten."

"Is this the girl?"

"Yeah."

"Feel sorry for her."

"Rude!" I feigned offense. "There is nothing wrong with me," I sniffed, sticking my nose in the air.

"of course there is. You associate with people like me." We laughed.

"I'll be right back, Tenten," I told her. She nodded, and I went to get the box from the front. It was heavier than it looked, but it was full of books, so of course it was heavy. It was no problem for me anyway. I lugged it back with me, to see that Tenten was talking to Kei. She'd taken an immediate liking to him, as had I.

"You're pretty cute," he mock-flirted, but she took it seriously and blushed a bit. "What do you say to--oof." I shoved the box into his arms, cutting off his sentence.

"Alright, lay off." So, anyway, Tenten, this is Kei, Kei ,this is Tenten." The shook hands, though it took a moment for the bookkeeper to free his up.

"Nice to meet you," Tenten said softly, and her voice was just...wow. I stared at her for a second, and Kei called me on it.

"You're staring, Neji. I know, I'm beautiful, but..." he trailed off, smoothing his hair jokingly like he was slicking it back.

"Oh, haha," I replied, really laughing. The girl beside me relaxed a bit, her shoulders un-tensing, and she was more at ease. I was glad. She'd be seeing more of these people. There were, however, a few more that I wanted her to meet.


	9. People

**Tenten**

We said goodbye to Kei, who I knew I liked immediately. He was easy to talk to, and just a fun guy. Neji promised to take me back to visit sometime, but there were other people he wanted to introduce me to. I wondered if they'd all be as nice as Kei, or if there'd be a few meaner ones. I was hoping none of them turned out to be ex-convicts or anything, that still had their tattoos and a mullet and a weird name like The Slasher or something, but I didn't want to voice this fear, because I'd sound stupid.

I trotted along obediently behind Neji like a puppy, not wanting to get lost. Finally, he stopped, and I almost walked right into his back, but caught myself just in time. I looked over his shoulder to the building he stood in front of. It was small in the front, but seemed to go back farther rather than across. There was a purple light shining from inside, and I could hear loud music shaking the walls. It looked...shady, to say the least. It looked like a place to buy drugs, or a strip club. Or both.

"Uh, you sure about this?" I asked, my voice starting to shake.

"Yeah," he said. "There's someone in here I want you to meet if you ever come here without me. Trust me, I think you'll like her."

He thought I'd like her. Well...

I followed him in, and he held my hand and pulled me through a crowd of dancing people. Bodies collided and meshed, then flew apart and changed partners, and I was caught in the middle of this strange dance. Once or twice my waist was grabbed like someone wanted to dance with me, but I didn't let go of Neji's hand, and he just kept plowing through them.

We reached what looked like a bar, and Neji wasted to time in ducking under the way in, and I followed. Behind the bar was a doorway was covered with hanging beads. He held it aside and I went in, followed closely by him.

"It's busy. Maybe I should've waited..." he mumbled to himself, but we were still moving forward, so he hadn't changed him mind. Me, personally, I was a little uncomfortable in a strip club. The beaded door led to a place with scantily clad dancers on top of tables, and the men that stared. Many of the men were old, hairy, or just plain gross. Neji grabbed my hand again and led me through another door in the back of the room, which led to a changing room. It was empty at the moment, but it must have belonged to the strippers.

"Uh... are you sure we should be here?"

"Yeah, it's fine." He led me through a big curtain--another doorway--that seemed to take us to a ware-house type of thing. The back of the building. Where I guessed all illegal transactions took place. This place was starting to make me a little uncomfortable--as if it hadn't before.

"She should be here," Neji said, looking around. "Ah, there she is." He waved, and pulled me to the back of the room. "Hey, Wakana!"

"Wakana?" I asked. It was a strange name. I thought I'd read it in a book somewhere, but wasn't sure. Neji waved and a woman walked over to us, still completely dressed, thankfully. I wasn't embarrassed by my body, but compared to this woman in front of me, I had no shape. She was gorgeous, curvaceous, and knew how to flaunt it. She wore a pantsuit that left almost nothing to the imagination with the way it clung to every...

"Neji!" She cried, and threw her arms around his neck in a friendly hug. I almost felt jealous, but reminded myself that I didn't want to marry him in the first place. He had since let go of my hand, and I thought he'd hug her back, but he wasn't that affectionate of a person. He stood almost rock-still until she took her arms back. "i haven't seen you in forever! Where have you been?"

"Back home, grounded," he replied, then turned to me. "I wanted to bring my friend by and introduce her to a few people. Tenten, this is Wakana Higuchi, Wakana, this is Tenten."

She took my hand and we shook. "My friends just call me Kana," she told me.

"Nice to meet you," I said, trying to hide all traces of sarcasm or contempt. I hardly knew this woman, and even though she was a very forward person--especially with my fiancee--I had no reason to dislike her yet.

"You too. So, how old are you?" She asked, and I answered truthfully.

"Fifteen, almost sixteen." She nodded.

"About his age," she kerked a thumb in Neji's direction. About then I noticed her manicure. "You two going out or something?"

"Uh...no." Another truthful answer. "We're not. How old are _you_, Miss Kana?"

"Oh, please, Kana is just fine. You don't have to be so formal. And I'm nineteen." Nineteen. She looked older the way she was dressed. "So what brings you here?" She said, turning back to Neji.

"Just wanted to introduce Tenten to a couple of people, that's all."

"Awwww, you didn't come to see me?"

"Not really." I stifled a laugh. She just looked so sad to hear that. Luckily, I think neither of them noticed. I watched as they laughed together over the little joke until I noticed that the lights out front turned purple and a new song was playing.

_My lip gloss is cool_  
_my lip gloss be poppin'_

"Ooh! I'm in this one!" Kana said, and said a hurried goodbye before rushing off to get ready for her part in the...strip show. I watched her leave, somewhat happy to see her gone. All this was a little...overwhelming. Kei was nice, but Kana...I wasn't sure about her. She seemed like she liked Neji a little too much.

"Well, _that_ visit was a little short but there's one more person I want you to meet. If they're here."

We took the back way out, rather than go through the crowds again, and navigated the alleyways before we ended up behind the bookstore. I waved to Kei as we passed the window, and I was whisked off to another place to meet another person.

* * *

**Neji**

I pulled her along to the next place. From her reaction, I didn't think she'd actually like Kana all that much, but I knew she liked Kei. You couldn't not like Kei.

I led her around the back of a huge building in the middle of the little town. The building was the stadium, but it was closed down and no one went in there anymore.

Except the people who lived in there, but I'd prefer that Tenten stay away from them. They weren't the greatest of guys. More than one of them had been convicted of rape and battery. Yeah, it'd be best for her not to know them.

"Where are we going now?" She asked.

"Well, if my friend is there, we'll hang at his place, and if he's not, we should probably head back. It's getting dark." I looked up and the sky was a deepening shade of purple.

"Okay," she replied. I had the feeling she was getting tired.

"Don't worry, it won't take long." Sooner than I thought, we were at the apartment building he lived in. We went around to the side, and I told her to wait there while I climbed the fire escape and peeked in the window.

The metal bars were rusty and cold under my fingers, so I tried to be quick, fearing the ladder would fall apart. I peered into the darkness of his home, and, seeing no one, turned and went back down.

"He's not home. Let's get going." She looked relieved to hear that. I led her back to my house, and we snuck back up through my window.

"This was fun," she told me.

"Yeah. When's our next?"

"Um...Friday I think."

Well, Friday wasn't going to be a good day for her. That would be when they were breaking the news about moving in together.

Joyous. I was going to be kicked through a wall and I knew it.


	10. Wakana

**Tenten**

Friday didn't come quickly enough.

On Thursday, the day after our latest "date", I went to school as normal, but I was inexplicably happy. The entire day was just cheery and everything in life seemed great. I giggled a lot, and I couldn't stop smiling, and this was pointed out to me many times.

"You're in loooooooove," Ino said, grinning. We were at lunch at the time, and I was giggling at my pudding.

Why the hell was I giggling over pudding? Not sure, but it sure as hell got the attention of my three best friends.

"Are you sick?" Sakura asked. Ino shook her head.

"I told you, she's in love!"

"Am not," I protested.

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Okay, stop, you two," Hinata, said, rather forcefully. Everyone stared at her. "You shouldn't tease her, Ino. And Tenten, you've been giggling all day! Of course she's going to think that!" We stared at her for a while before she realized what had just happened. "I'm sorry!" She exclaimed. "I'm just under a lot of pressure." I knew what she was talking about. With her cousin getting married, there must not be a lot of time for her.

"Uh...it's fine. Are you okay, though?" I asked, truly worried. If she was going to break down into tears, I didn't know what I'd do. Probably cry along with her, because I like her cousin but didn't want to. Hinata started eating again, and I followed suit, absolutely starving. Sakura and Ino did as well, after exchanging a confused look.

I looked at the clock, and remembered that I had to get milk on the way home, and decided that the classes after lunch--since they were all study halls that day--were not useful. I chose to take the route that most students do on such days and leave early. The girls decided to go with me.

"It's getting warm out," I noted, pulling at the collar of my school uniform. I loosened the tie and undid the top few buttons. "When do we get to wear the spring uniforms?"

"Next month," Sakura said, fanning herself. The long sleeves we were wearing did nothing for us. The weather was nice, but the clothes were too heavy, making it too hot. I rolled mine up, but it only made it hotter around my shoulders.

"Ugh! This is too uncomfortable! Where can we go that we can buy new t-shirts?" I asked, looking at Ino, who knew every inch of the town's shopping accommodations. She pointed to a little boutique within a hundred feet where we walked, browsed, and bought t-shirts. As we searched through the racks, Sakura and Ino asked me about my date.

"So, did you wear that dress?"

"No, and I'm glad I didn't. We went into town and we went down all the back roads, and he had me jumping into trees and up fire escapes..." I trailed off and sighed, thinking about what would have happened had I been wearing the tiny minidress they'd bought for me.

"I hope you're not using some sort of sex metaphor here..."Ino said, narrowing her eyes. Hinata and I both nearly choked on air.

"INO! That's disgusting!" I screamed. Hinata just looked like she was about to puke. She couldn't look at me for a few minutes, but quickly swallowed whatever she was going to say and kept walking. The pink haired Sakura and her best friend quickly got caught up in shopping, and I decided to take Hinata aside. I wanted to talk to her.

"I'll catch up with you guys later!" I called, and they waved. "Hinata, let's get something to drink." She nodded and followed me to a cafe. we took a seat and ordered sodas. She stared at her hands and I stared anywhere else. The drinks arrived and we drank. "So..." I stared.

"S-so..."

"Um, Hinata, are you alright with me...being engaged to your cousin? I mean, you're one of my best friends, and if this is going to affect our friendship, then I'll figure out a way to--"

"N-no!" She exclaimed, cutting me off. "Really, this is a good thing!" She suddenly sat up straighter in her chair and leaned forward. "I've never...never seen Neji so happy!" I was taken aback.

"H-happy? Why?"

"Well, at home he's always...sad...or angry. He doesn't like my father. And my father doesn't like him much. They always disagree, and Neji doesn't have many friends that I know of at school either, so life hasn't always been good for him since his father died. And, well, I think he really likes you, and he's happy when he gets to spend time with you." I couldn't speak. Was it true?

I thought I didn't love him back, but what was this feeling in the pit of my stomach? I knew what it was, but I couldn't believe it.

A shiver ran down my spine, and I excused myself, promising to call Hinata later. I just wanted to go home at that moment.

--

By the time I got home, it was getting dark. I wanted to go back to my room and think, but at the same time, I didn't want to think. Thinking about this...made my head hurt. I'd thought about it so many times that I had over-thought it, and couldn't process it anymore than I already had.

"oy..." I told my parents I was going out for a walk and left. My hands slid into my pockets as I walked, and I stared at my feet as they hit the concrete. I hummed to myself to distract my mind from the thoughts it wanted to wander to, and as a result, I didn't notice where I wandered. I was back in the town, the one Neji and I visited together.

The one that I would now call Sanctuary.

My feet had taken me to Sanctuary, and I was on the street of Wakana's club. I hadn't even noticed until I saw the flashing lights. It was still early, though I saw her leaving. She had a purse on one arm and she was waving as she walked to her car, so I had no doubts that she was going home.

Until she saw me.

Something that looked like a grin spread across her face for a brief minute before disappearing. "Hi, Tenten!" she called, waving to me. She out her purse in the front seat of her car and then closed the door and started toward me. "What a coincidence! I've been wanting to talk to you, but I didn't know how to contact you." She chuckled. "So what brings you here?"

"Um, well, I was out for a walk and just...absent-mindedly got here." I shrugged.

"Oh, well, I wanted to talk to you, y'know, without Neji around. Maybe get to know you better?" I wouldn't mind that terribly, I suppose, even though there was something about her i just didn't like at all. "But I guess you can't stay out here too long, especially since it's nighttime. So I'll make it short." She bent down a bit so that her lips were level with my ear. "Neji belongs to me, so stay...away." She pulled away smiling like she'd just told her best friend a secret.

"Um...I don't really think he's property, for one, and two, I've got no choice in the matter. We're getting married by order of our parents. The law is binding." Her smile disappeared.

"Well, we'll just have to change that..." Kana turned on her heel like it was a pivot and stalked off to her car. She started it and drove off. I figured that was a good time to go home. I hadn't been counting on an encounter with her, but now, i at least knew I couldn't trust her.

But why she liked a boy four years younger, I didn't know. Not that he wasn't good-looking or a really nice guy, but for women, younger is never good unless you're insecure about your age.

* * *

**Neji**

I yawned as i woke up on Thursday. This was something that I never did. i was always silent when i woke up.

Did that mean something to me then? No. But had I paid attention, I would've known. When something about your character seems abnormal, something in your life is going to change. That was something my father told me. He told me that that abnormal something would be small. A change in my daily routine that I might not even notice, but it'd be there.

Well, I already knew what was going to change, or at least I thought I did.

For the last few days, I'd been packing my things. I knew where the apartment was, when i was moving in, etc. I had yet to tell Tenten. That responsibility had been dumped on me by a unanimous decision made by the parents. I wasn't looking forward to it.

Anyway, Thursday, I woke up, yawning. I rolled out of bed, showered, changed, went to school, the usual. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, so I didn't know that something would be changing very soon.

Friday, the next day, was when I was supposed to tell Tenten. Then we'd be moving in together on Monday, so she'd have the weekend to get it together. Friday was also the day of our next date. I was going to take her into town again. I thought she'd enjoy that. I never did, after all, get to introduce her to my other friend, Hiroto. Everyone who knew him called him Hiro.

He was one of the three guys that were almost infamous throughout the town. The others were Kei, and myself.

Hiro was a cool guy. The kind who might fit the stereotype of a biker, but he hated bikes. He preferred rusty old cars. He was just weird like that, but also a bit more normal than Kei.

I really wanted Tenten to meet him, but he hadn't been home at the time, and I couldn't change that. So i'd have to wait.

I hoped she liked him. He was one of the few friends I had in life, and so was she.


	11. Party

**Tenten**

I came home at the end of the school day on Friday to a message. My mother, who was in the kitchen at the time, noticed me coming in and called out to me.

"Neji called. He left you a message. It's on the table!" The water turned on and she started washing dishes, and I heard no more from her. I put my bag down, slipped out of my shoes and walked to the table, where I could see the stationary my mother had written the message down on.

_Tenten, _it read. _Please call me as soon as you get this._ He'd left his number, and so I happily went up the stair to my room and flung myself onto my bed. I lay there on my stomach and reached for the phone, dialing the number with one hand, and holding the receiver to my ear with the other. It rang twice before someone picked up.

"Hello?" Neji said groggily.

"Hi. I'm sorry, did I wake you?" His voice instantly brightened upon recognizing who it was.

"No, no, it's fine."

"I got your message," I said. "What did you want to talk to me about?" I crossed my ankles in the air and twirled a strand of hair around one finger.

"Well, since tonight is the night of our next date, I wanted to invite you to a party. I know it's short notice, but I just got word of it today as well."

"Where is it?"

"Kana's club. It's having, like, a three year anniversary or something. It sounded like fun, so I thought I'd invite you."

"Are you sure we can get in if it's at the club?" This was starting to sound like a plan that would fail.

"Ah, but you forget I know the owner. We'll have no problems getting in. Trust me." I trusted him. More than he knew.  
But the only problem was Wakana. I knew she wanted Neji, and I didn't know if he was secretly with her, or if this was an unrequited love on her part. I just wasn't comfortable around her, especially after last night. I swear, she's crazy. But we didn't have to go near her.

"Uh, well, sure I'd love to go. When is it?"

"It starts at nine, when do you want me to pick you up?"

"Umm...eight thirty?"

"Okay, sounds good. See you then." He hung up. There was only one problem.

What was I going to wear?

A few hours later, i had my three best friends in the world over at my house and they watched as I flung things from my closet. "No, no, no! I have nothing!" I came out with fistfuls of clothes and threw them into the air. "And I haven't even done my hair yet! He's supposed to be here in an hour!!" I was beginning to panic.

"Okay, CALM DOWN," Ino yelled, grabbing my shoulders and giving me a shake. "We can handle this. We're big girls. Now you go in there and straighten your hair while we pick out your outfit." She pointed to the bathroom, and I followed her finger obediently. I grabbed the straight iron and plugged it in as I listened to them debating about my outfit. I tried not to completely fry my ends but i also wanted to hear what they said...

"This one. It's settled." They'd finished that quick? Damn.

"And she can wear these too." I guessed accessories, or shoes, or both, and finished with my hair. I walked out of the bathroom with two ribbons in my hands to tie up my hair, but I wanted to see what they'd picked out.

"It's...so simple." A cute pair of lowriders, a red halter, and a black belt. Dangly earrings and my favorite red and white sneakers completed the perfect dancing outfit. "It's perfect..." I moved forward as I tied up my hair, but was stopped, and the ribbons were violently wrenched from my hands. "Hey!"

"Oh, no you don't," Sakura said, holding them triumphantly above me. "You're leaving your hair down tonight, I order you." I jumped, but she moved them out of the way. There was no way I could get them back in time so I stuck out my tongue and grabbed the outfit instead, running to the bathroom to change. When i emerged, I got looks of approval.

Ino stepped forward and took out the earrings, instead getting a necklace, silver and thin for my neck. It looked much better. Then i heard the doorbell. "He's early!" I cried, and threw my arms around each of the girls in turn as my thanks. I grabbed a bit of money and shoved it deep into my pocket in case I needed a drink or something, and then turned and ran out into the hall, smoothing my hair down one last time.

Just before i reached the door, I slowed down, not trying to look rushed. I brushed a lock of hair from my eyes and smoothed my shirt, then reached for the handle.

"Hey," I said, smiling. He returned the grin.

"Hey. Ready?" He asked. I nodded, and he offered his arm. And then we were off.

* * *

**Neji**

The pounding bass and flashing lights in the club were amazing. It was a great getaway from real life, and a place where you could just sit for hours or have a drink and relax, talk with people, meet new people, or forget people. I took Tenten in through the back door, because the bouncer wouldn't have let us in, even if he knew us, but I knew Kana wanted me there. She'd asked me specifically to come. How could I say no?

I held her hand and led her through the throngs of people to the bar, where I suspected I'd find Kana, watching people do shots, or doing them herself, and receiving praise and congratulations on reaching her third year as owner of a nightclub. As I'd thought, I heard her laugh before i could see her.

She was wearing her hair back in a ponytail, and she was wearing a sparkly sequined dress, probably for attention, and she held in one hand a martini glass. She was surrounded by people her own age, all of whom were also drinking, laughing, and sloshing their cosmos or beers. As soon as she saw me, she raised her glass and waved it, spilling more. I could tell she was already drunk.

I thought that the legal drinking age of Konoha being nineteen was a mistake, and clearly everyone in this room was an example of that, but this was Kana's party and I wasn't going to ruin it that night. I waved back, and when Tenten came into her line of sight, I thought i saw her face fall a bit, but she instantly put it back up.

"Hey, Kana," I said as soon as we were within earshot.

"Hi Neshi!" She slurred. I laughed a bit. "Hi, Tenten! Ahahahaha!" Tenten looked at her questioningly and then up at me as if she was worried.

"Don't worry, I've seen her drunk before, it's not all that bad." I tried to reassure her, but I think I only convinced her that Kana was an alcoholic. Suddenly, a finger was pointed past my face.

"You!" Kana said, and I could tell she was talking to me, but had double vision. "I gotta talk to you! Alown!" "Alwon" wasn't even a word, but I nodded and looked back at Tenten, sure that she had heard Wakana's request. She nodded understandingly.

"I'll go...powder my nose," she said with a slight smile, and headed off into the crowd to find the bathroom. I turned my attention back to my drunk friend. She had dismissed the rest of her posse and we were now alone...for the most part. She leaned on the bar for support and looked me in the eye, missing terribly and looking at a bottle on the wall instead.

"I just want to say..." she hiccuped, "that I dis...dis...disappro...don't like the fact that you're getting married so young. At least not to a girl like her," she gestured with her glass in the direction Tenten had gone, spilling almost the entire glass. I took the cup from her and set it back on the bar.

"And why is that?"

"BeCAUSE. You are one dense little boy, y'know that?" One eyelid drooped. "You should marry an older woman. Someone who can guide you in the ways..." she took a swig of a beer that had been handed to her. I took the bottle and placed it out of her reach. "Of the world." She giggled as though she'd told a joke.

"And I supposed you mean yourself, don't you?" I joked, but I didn't expect her answer.

"Well, Yesh!" I stared at her.

"You're just drunk, you don't know what you're saying. Maybe you ought to go hom--" I was standing to leave but she grabbed my arm.

"But, wait!" She stood too, and leaned on my shoulder to keep her standing. "Let me show you. Wow, Neshi, I didn't knew you didn't know I liked you. You ARE dense." She giggled again and leaned in, her breath, that stank of alcohol, filling my nostrils.

"Kana," I said, trying to pry her off gently without hurting her feelings. "I'm happily engaged. So if you'd excuse me, I'm going to find Tenten..." I couldn't finish my sentence. Mid-word, she'd thrown her arms around my shoulders and leaned her whole body into me, so that if I moved, she'd fall and hit her head. I was the only thing keeping her up at that moment, and couldn't let go of her. She took advantage of that moment and pressed her lips to mine, cutting off my words.

Everything seemed to get quieter. The music didn't seem quite so loud in my ears, and I thought I heard a gasp behind me. I broke away from Kana and turned to see the girl I _really_ liked witnessing the whole thing.

Well, that blew my chances with her.

"No, Tenten, wait!" I cried, but she'd turned and disappeared into the crowd again.

Damn it.


	12. Betrayal

**Tenten**

I had gone off, powdered my nose, and mulled around the edge of the room until I thought I'd given them enough time and started heading back. I cut through the mass of dancing people that moved as though they were one, and got a bit caught up. I found myself grabbed, bumped, and once or twice someone grabbed my hips and started grinding. I tried not to laugh.

Usually I didn't like this sort of thing, but I was actually having fun. I only wished I could have invited my girls along.

I escaped the grasp of the grinding man and squeezed my way in between a dancing couple, trying--and succeeding--to look natural. In here, to them, I was just another person. They seemed oblivious to my young age. I lifted my hands in the air and grooved, sliding along the floor until I caught sight of the bar. I headed in that direction, trying to pinpoint the exact place I'd left them.

I saw the top of Kana's big head and headed that way, slipping in between dancers again. I got close enough that I could see them, but I was still working my way over. That's when I saw it all.

Neji got up, Kana grabbed his arm, making him turn. Then she was in his arms. and he wasn't pushing her off. Or trying to get rid of her. In any way. She then put her arms around his neck, and I noticed his hands were on her waist. I thought for just a second, hopefully, I might add that they were dancing. But they weren't. And it wasn't a slow song that was playing.

And then, without warning, she leaned in and kissed him, and I didn't see him fighting it. I gasped, shocked, and he must have heard me. He broke away from that slut and turned to see me, staring disbelievingly at him.

"No, Tenten, wait!" He yelled over the music, throwing out an arm to catch me, but I was gone. I slipped into the crowd again, and dancers moved me to the door. I ran through it without looking back, and sprinted down the street, glad I'd worn sneakers and pants. A skirt or heels would've given him time to catch up to me, and I just didn't want to look at him.

I was lost, and the tears were starting to well up, but i found my way out thanks to the street signs. I made it back to my house in one piece, and ran through the front door, down the hall up the stairs, and slammed my door behind me, locking it tightly and vowing never to come out.

"Tenten, honey?" I heard my mother say. She'd seen me bolt up the stairs and came after me, tentatively. She knocked a few times. "Honey, are you alright?"

"No."

"Did something happen?"

"Yes." I gave my mother the straight answers I had always given her. Never had i ever beaten around the bush or just come out and said everything all at once. If she wanted me to tell, she had to pry.

"Want to tell me what it's about?"

"Neji."

"What happened, sweetie?" I noticed she didn't come inside. She didn't ask to come inside, either, which made me wonder. "Did something go wrong on your date?"

"Would I come home crying if it went perfectly?" I was resorting to sarcasm to vent my feelings. Dammit, Neji! Why'd you have to matter so damned much?!

Why'd you have to introduce me to Kana? Why'd you have to invite me to that party? Why'd my parents have to set us up in the first place?

I heard whispering behind the door, and a voice that I didn't want to hear. I quickly stood, went over, and locked the door. I had three locks; one new, one old, and one a chain lock that was there when I moved in. I was thankful for them now. I slid them all closed and went back to the bed. I sat on the edge and hugged my pillow, facing away from the door.

"Tenten..." It was Neji, as I'd thought. "Can I come in? Please?"

"What do you think?"

"Well, can I at least explain?" He begged. I could hear a tone in his voice. I laughed coldly, not feeling anything.

"Ha! Explain what, why I caught you with that older girl? Why your hands were all over her and your tongue was down her throat? Explain **_that_**, Neji!" I turned and threw my pillow at the door.

"It wasn't what it looked like! She came onto me! I was just trying not to let her fall, she was so drunk!"

"Nice try; not falling for it." I heard him sigh and put his head against my door.

"Well, can I at least say I'm sorry? It was a huge misunderstanding, and I'm sorry that you saw what you saw, thought what you thought, and came to the conclusion you ended up at. I hope you can forgive me someday...but I'd suggest soon."

"Why's that?"

"This isn't the best time, but I was supposed to tell you tonight that...we're moving in together." There was a silence. My mother was still there, though she was being deadly silent, waiting for my reaction, as was he. "Tenten?" he said, after i didn't answer, but I couldn't hear him. Once I'd heard "moving in together", I put my jacket on and walked to the window, throwing it open--it was blessedly quiet--and climbed out onto the ivy growing up the side of my house.

I couldn't take any more pain.

I needed a Sanctuary.

* * *

**Neji**

"Tenten? Tenten?" I pushed on the door, but it didn't give. She must have locked it, though I could understand why. "Tenten, are you in there?"

Tenten's mother pushed in between me and the door and rapped on it rapidly.

"Tenten, this isn't funny, answer me now." More silence. She turned to me. "She's not in there...she must have run away!" She slapped her hands to her face and started wailing.

"C-calm down," I tried reassuring her, but she took off down the hall screaming. I ran after her, and found her in the kitchen. Her husband was there as well, looking at her as if she'd grown another head.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Tenten ran away!" She said between gasping sobs. "We have to f-find her!" I saw that as my cue. The parents were too distraught to look properly anyway.

"Don't worry," I said as I headed for the door. "I'll find her. I'll bring her back, safe." And without another word, I rushed out and into the street.

I realized, once on the road, that I had no clue as to where she would have gone. I didn't know her friends, or anyone else that she knew, outside of her family and the few people I'd introduced her to.

"Great, Neji," I said. "First you scare her off, then you don't know how to find her." I sighed. "I'd better start looking." I ran off down a side street, thinking she'd stay away from the main roads, to avoid being seen, and had started looking in the forest behind the minimart when I got the call.

"Hello," I said. I was panting from running, and almost too out of breath to speak.

"Hey," said a familiar voice. I instantly perked up.

"What is it?"


	13. Seeking refuge

**Tenten**

Fuck him. Forget him. Damn him to hell.

And screw my parents, too. Deciding to hook me up with that dog. Then deciding to make me live with him, too. God, it's like they're selling my virginity online or something. I'm likely to get raped living with someone like that. Pig.

And my friends...well...I have nothing bad to say about them, since all they did was help me. That's what friends are for. But I wish they wouldn't have been so damn good at making me care about this sort of thing.

God, sometimes I hated my life.

But only as of recently. Before I ever knew about this whole "engagement" thing, my life was a whole different story. A happy one. One that other girls used to envy. My parents were still together, I did well in school, I had a bunch of great friends, and I wasn't bad looking either. Yeah, I'd been checked out a few times, and I used to go out with my girls and check out cute guys. now that I was getting married--to a total douchebag--I couldn't do any of that.

No more fun. No more good times. Nope. Just stay at home and raise the rape babies.

God, I hated everything! And what's worse, when I went out, it started raining. Just a drizzle at first, but the, by the end of my walk, a downpour. I was soaked. I let my hair cover my eyes, and kept walking with my leaden feet. All too soon, i found I couldn't take any more. I had to sit. I had to sulk.

I found an alleyway just off the main road that looked like it would do just fine. I plopped down on the ground and leaned my back against the wall, drawing my knees up under my chin and wrapping my arms around them. There was a reason I called this place Sanctuary. Besides Neji, no one knew that I knew where this place was, and so, besides Neji, no one could find me here.

I almost smiled. The rain felt nice on the top of my head. It almost washed away my worries. I peeled off my wet jacket, revealing the red halter I was still wearing. It soaked instantly, but I didn't care. I just got back into my fetal position, trying to die. All I could do was yawn.

"Hey...is that you?" I heard a voice and opened my eyes. I sat up quickly, and sought the face of the person who was talking. "Tenten?"

"Yes?" It was a person with an umbrella, and that was all I could see. I peered closer, leaning forward a bit. I saw a glint of light off of glasses. "Kei?" I asked cautiously.

"Yeah, it's me. What are you doing here on your own? Shouldn't you be with Neji if you're here?" He looked around as if to look for the boy. "And why are you just out in the rain like this? Come on, get under the umbrella." He stretched one arm toward me, which i took, and he pulled me up. I pressed close to him so I'd fit under the tiny frame of the umbrella.

"What the hell are you doing here on your own?" Kei asked me again, this time a little more sternly. "It's dangerous out here. There are a lot of bad people who would just love to get their hands on a girl like you." I ignored him. I was perfectly aware of that. Those kinds of people were everywhere, not just here.

He led me back to the bookshop, and old me to sit where I like. I went behind the checkout counter and took up my previous position on the wall. It was familiar, but in a dryer, lighter environment. I closed my eyes and tried not to fall asleep.

Kei went into the back room and emerged a few seconds later with a towel, which he tossed to me. "I'll be right back," he told me. "I've got to take inventory, and then I'll probably look for something to eat. You hungry?" I shook my head. He shrugged. "Suit yourself."

He was gone an awful long time, so i guessed he was calling someone. The only person we both knew was Neji, again. Maybe he wouldn't come. Maybe I'd gotten my point across. I stifled another yawn. Yeah, right. I wold just wait until he came through the door, then bolt when he wasn't looking. I heard the jingle of the front door sooner than I wouldn've liked, though.

"Excuse, me, is Kei here?" A burly man asked me, after looking over the counter to see me, curled up and wet, wrapped in a towel. I nodded. "In the back?" I nodded again. He looked at me hard, as if studying me, trying to memorize my face. Finally, unable to take any more of that, I offered to go get Kei for him. "No, no that's fine. I should be going anyway."

"Really, it's no trouble. KEI!" I shouted, and within seconds, he was there.

"Yeah?" He said, his hair scraggly and around his eyes, hiding the glasses he was wearing.

"This guy needs you." I pointed.

"How can I help you?" Kei leaned on his elbows on the counter. THe man shook his head.

"Really, I just came to see about a book, but it's getting late. I'd lost track of the time and I'm late to get home to my wife, and she'll yell..." he trailed off, hoping we'd get it. Kei nodded and watched him as he turned and left, embarrassed. Before the door could close, though, an hand shoved its way in and swung it back open.

"I got your call," Neji said. "What's up." Kei's finger pointed at me, and Neji practically threw himself over the counter to get to me.

"Jesus, don't scare me like that!" he said, grabbing my shoulders and shaking me. I removed myself from his grip and stood up, backing away.

"Don't touch me, you bastard." I seethed.

"Look, I don't have time for this. Come on, I'm taking you home..."

"You're not taking me anywhere." I smacked his hand away as he reached for mine, and headed for the door. "Fuck that." I sprinted back out into the rain. "Fuck that..." I whispered again.

* * *

**Neji**

"Jesus, Neji, what'd you do to that girl?" Kei asked me as we watched Tenten run from the store. "You better let her go. She needs to blow off some steam." I sat down at the counter after pulling up the chair Kei kept in the shelves to reach the tops.

"I have to bring her home. I promised her parents."

"Well, why's she mad at you in the first place?" Kei asked. I sighed.

"Well, I took her to a party at Kana's club, her third anniversary party with the club thing, you know? And Kana was drunk as all hell, and then she kissed me. And then Tenten saw it. But for the record, **_she_** kissed _**me.**_ I had nothing to do with it. I don't even know any reason why she could have done it, other than she was drunk."

"Well, have you explained that to her yet?" Kei asked, mixing a cup of tea for himself. "I mean, she seems like an understanding girl. "

"She won't listen. She refuses to be in the same room as me. I came to her house to apologize and break the bad news to her, and she ran away. She might be understanding, but she's also irrational. This is _**not**_ the place to run away to."

"She calls it 'Sanctuary'. She told me." I stared at him.

"Sanctuary? Why?" It made no sense. She'd been here a total of three, maybe four times, and she was already considering this the place to go? Kei shrugged.

"I don't know. I didn't ask why. She just told me, and I don't even know if she was talking to me or herself, but I heard her say it. That's all I know. I mean, logically, there are no reasons. But then again, no one uses logic when they decide things like--did you hear that?" He stared past me to the door.

"Hear what?"

"Shh!" He listened closely to something I couldn't hear. "Come outside, let's see what this is." I followed him out the door, and we stood under the awning, avoiding the rain.

"I don't hear anything..." I said after a moment. "What am I supposed to be...hey! Kei!"

"It's Tenten!" he said, running in the direction he'd heard it from. "I heard her scream!" My blood ran cold in my veins before boiling. Why was she screaming?

I'd find out.

I took off running after Kei, easily catching up to him, and I would have run past him had I known where he was going. I'd promised her parents, and I didn't break my promises.


	14. Anger

**Tenten  
**

Who did he think he was, demanding that I go back with him?  
I ran from the building, trying--and failing--not to cry. I just wanted to get away from him, and headed blindly into the street, not caring what direction I was heading. I was just too angry to think straight. Too angry with him, Kana, that whore, and too angry at my parents.

I'd thought I'd be safe at Kei's place, but I guess not. He'd found me there, too. Now I had nowhere to go.

I decided to head East. No particular reason why, I just liked that direction. When you're running away, it's always a plus to know where you're running to, or at least, have an idea of which way to go. I had no clothes, but i still had the money I'd brought, so I'd buy new ones, thought twenty bucks wouldn't get much. I wished right then that I hadn't left my jacket in that alleyway. Then I noticed I was lost.

"Figures," I muttered under my breath, shivering. I hugged my shoulders, my hands slipping off of them from the water still cascading from the sky in buckets. I looked around for the next place to go. I wanted to go down the alley in front of me, but when I turned, the way was blocked.

"Hello," a smooth voice purred. The woman in front of me stood, her arms crossed across her chest, and umbrella held above her head. "Miss me?"

"You conniving bitch," I growled through my teeth. "Get away from me." I inched to the side, trying to go around her, but she moved too.

"You poor thing," she said in mock sympathy. "You're all wet! Here, let me share my umbrella with you" She held it out over me, and just as I was letting down my guard, she brought it down quickly, smashing it over my head, turning it inside out and scratching my face with the now-bent metal. "Oops. I'm sorry." She laughed. We were in an alley, next to trash cans, so she tossed the broken mess of metal and cloth away, and rested her hands on her hips like she thought she was somebody.

"I told you Neji was mine, didn't I?" She said. I removed the hand I'd pressed over the biggest cut on my cheekbone and glared at her.

"I don't care what you do with that cheating bastard. I never wanted him in the first place." She seemed confused for a moment.

"What do you mean by that? Were you just using him then?" She crossed her arms across her chest again, and tilted her head down, glaring at me from the tops of her eyes. It was almost as if there was a fire in her eyes, one that wasn't dampened by the rain still pouring down, soaking us both even further than I thought possible.

"No. I wouldn't do that. It was our parents who set us up. I was looking for a way out of it, but there isn't one. I was just getting used to the idea of marrying him when I saw him kiss you." She laughed.

"HIM kiss ME? Like whatever. He wouldn't kiss me if I paid him. I had to kiss HIM if there was ever going to be any movement forward." She flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Now what do you mean married? Like, for real?"

"YES!" I said, rolling my eyes. But all I could think about what how wrong I'd been. Neji was telling the truth, and I was a bitch for not believing him when he said he didn't kiss Wakana. I had to get back and tell him. See if he would forgive me, after how horrible I'd been, though, I doubted it.

"Well, I'll have to put a stop to that." Kana snapped her fingers and someone came up behind me. He was tall. I could sense that without even turning around. I looked over my shoulder, and it was a big, burly man, probably one of the bouncers from her club. In a quick movement, he clamped his hands on my arms, pinning them to my sides. "Ah ah ah, put her down, Roderigo. We don't want to hurt her." I was released, and I instantly jumped away, ready to run.

I turned to face the only other way out in this alley, which was somewhat like a three way intersection of alleys, only to be cut off again. Another man had accompanied Kana. He was almost as tall as the other, and just as built. I turned back to the evil whore behind me, my wet locks slapping my cheeks as I whirled.

"Don't you get it? You've won! Neji and I aren't together anymore, you can _**have**_ him! I don't care anymore!" I was on the verge of tears, both due to anger and fear. That, and the fact that I fucked up a relationship because this woman in front of me tricked me. I was stupid enough to believe anything that came out of her mouth.

"oh, no, no. I'm not one with you. You'vegotten in my way, and made it hard for me o get something I want. You see...well, I suppose yo don't, but Neji likes you. He's got a stupid little crush on you, and here you are telling me that you hate him and I can have him. Last time I checked, he wasn't property." I chuckled at that. "what's so funny?" She asked, narrowing her eyes.

"That's the same thing I thought when you said Neji was 'yours'." I said, smirking. Her triumphant grin turned down in a frown. She approached me slowly, and, all exits b eing blocked by huge bodybuilders, I was trapped. I could only let her get closer.

"Shut up." She slapped me across the cheek with the cut, sending flashing pain up the side of my head. I couldn't help it. I screamed, though it was a short scream. More of a yelp, really, but loud. "I don't know who you think you are, but no one talks to me like that. And since you don't seem to understand that you're not welcome here,  
I'm gonna use what we call 'Spartan Education'." I expected another guy to pop out of nowhere when she snapped her fingers, but instead, three of them did.

One of the men already there grabbed me from behind, pinning my arms to my sides, and I could just see over the shoulder of the other guy.

Neji and Kei were here. As well as someone I didn't know. But they had come for me, and that was all that mattered. I didn't cry out. I didn't make a sound, or a gesture, or any movement, really. I just stared.

Because he did love me. And I loved him.

* * *

**Neji**

"Put her down," I ordered the man, but he paid me no mind. Instead, I turned my attention to Wakana, who seemed to be behind this. "Let her down, Kana," I told her. She sneered at me in refusal.

"I won't. She's in the way."

"In the way of what?" The woman moved toward me lithely, walking with a little extra shake to her hips, as though she were trying to entice someone. She placed one hand on my shoulder and moved it across my chest to the other shoulder, and walked around behind me.

"I want something, she's in the way. I've got to get rid of her." The words sent chills up my spine, but I stayed as still as possible, not wanting to betray my true emotions. My two best friends stood behind me a bit, ready when I said the word.

"You don't know what you're doing. Kana, let her go." She laughed. It was a terrible laugh, but it showed who she really was.

"No way! Not until I get everything out of her that I can."

"What will it take," I asked, "for her to be let go?" She moved in front of me and faced me.

"You're gonna have to be mine." She smiled, showing her perfectly whitened teeth, not even a hint of her lipstick smudged on them. Her makeup done immaculately, it accentuated her features as they widened and stretched unattractively, truimph showing in her eyes.

_It's for Tenten. I can just agree to get her out, then I don't have to go through with it..._

"I don't think so, bitch!" Tenten beat me to it. She kicked Kana in the back of her head, but lightly enough not to do any damage, being held back. It was with that that we launched into a fight.

Kana, infuriated, jumped at Tenten, who was unfairly held back. Tenten kicked her away, though, with enough time for Kei to sneak up behind her restrainer and whack him. All hell broke loose.

"Hiro!" I called, and the man on my right moved toward the other bodyguard. It was a full blown fight within moments. Kei, Hiro and I took on the thugs while there was a cat fight going on behind us. I feigned to the left and let Hiro take out the first guy from behind, with one swift kick to the neck. He'd be out for a while, Kei told us. Then I let the two of them focus on the last guy while I turned and tried to get Tenten out of her fight.


	15. Amends

**Tenten**

I could've sworn I'd lost half of my hair in that fight. Sadly, I fought like a girl. But then again, so did she. I'm pretty sure I was winning, but her nails were easily an inch long, and when she scratched, the cuts were deep.

I could hear the guy's fight vaguely in the background, but I was more engrossed in my own. I moved to try and pry her hands off my arm, but she held fast, and wound her other hand in my hair. She yanked down hard, making me bend.  
I dug the heel of my sneaker into her pretty, polished toes, and she let go. I took my opportunity and shoved her to the ground. She didn't move, but I could tell she wasn't knocked out.

"Tenten, come on, we've got to get out of here! You don't have to fight her!" Neji cried behind me. He was right. I wiped my mouth, a little blood came off on my sleeve, and stood up. I turned to follow him.

There I saw Kei, and another guy. This new guy was tall. He had short brownish hair, and he was wearing a leather jacket. He was definitely a looker, as well, and he was pretty toned, I could see through his wet shirt. He looked like a total bad boy, but when he spoke, my first impression was changed drastically.

"Hello, I'm Hiro," he said, and stuck out his hand politely. I shook it, apologizing about the blood, and introduced myself. "Tenten," he said, as if he were testing the name. It sounded good when he said it. For a heartbeat, i was afraid I was falling for him. But then i heard Neji's voice and all doubts vanished.

"Show me your arms," Neji commanded. I stuck them out obediently. He inspected the scratches, deemed them nonfatal, and gave me the jacket he was wearing, which I accepted gratefully, even though it was wet, and almost more uncomfortable than just the shirt. It was the thought that counted. Then he turned back to his friends and said we should all go.

In the middle of his sentence, I heard a rustle behind me. All four of us turned. Kana was getting up. She flipped her mussed hair over her shoulder, revealing cuts and bruises on her face, as well as a violent expression.

"I'll _kill _you!" She screamed. "You ruined my nails!" She ran at me, and Neji tensed, ready to move in front of me, but I moved first.

"This is _my_ fight," I growled, and pulled back my arm, balling my hand into a fist. I threw it forward, making contact with her face. "And I'm sick of your shit, Kana." I spat on her before stalking out of the alley and onto the main road. "Bitch," I mumbled. and flipped my own hair over my shoulder. Three very surprised men followed me out.

An hour later, I was in a diner with said three men. I sat next to Neji in a booth while Kei and Hiro sat across from me.

"So, you are one fierce little lady," Hiro said, and bit into his sandwich. "Where'd you learn to fight like that?"

"I didn't," I admitted. "That's just how girls fight. And that punch was all luck." I shrugged. He laughed a bit. i noticed out of the corner of my eye that Neji kept checking his watch. "Something wrong, Neji?"

"It's after one in the morning. I should take you home." That reminded me we were going to move in together.

"Yeah, Neji, about that...I'm sorry I blew up in your face, and I didn't believe you when you said you didn't kiss her..." I looked at my hands and twiddled my thumbs.

"Hey, it's fine. Understandable. But we should seriously get out of here."

"Then you're not mad at me?"

"Not really. It was frustrating, but I'm glad you realize I'm right."

"Yeah...sorry. We should go. It was nice meeting you, Hiro. Nice seeing you again, Kei."

"Just a second, Tenten." Neji said, and slid out of the booth. "Now, I know this is going to sound cheesy, but we've gone through some tough shit, what with this entire thing being prearranged, and you being opposed to it, but we really can't help it. We're getting married, whether we like it or not. But, I've come to realize that I _do_ like it. And, I think you do too." He slid onto one knee. "I want to do this the right way." He pulled a box out of his pocket. My heart sped up. My face flushed, and my breathed became more shallow and excited. "Tenten," he opened the box, and a sparkling ring was in it. There wasn't a diamond, but I couldn't expect that. And it didn't matter anyway. "Will you marry me?"

Happy tears were pouring from the sides of my eyes. Kei and Hiro both "awwww'd" as i, giggling, said "yes!" He slipped the ring on my finger and I threw my arms around his neck. We weree both soaking, beat up, and probably looked like vagabonds, but we were happy.

Hiro threw Neji a set of keys, and a few minutes later, I was on the back of a bike, heading home. I hugged Neji around his waist, and buried my face in his back.

Needless to say, I wasn't looking forward to the episode I'd see at home. My mother was a bit of a drama queen. But right then and there, all that mattered was the right then and there.

* * *

**Third Person POV**

--_Two months later_--

Tenten admired the ring on her finger, the way it sparkled in the light, while her girlfriends 'ooh'ed and 'aah'ed over it.

"So you guys are really gonna do it?" Sakura asked, her eyes not leaving the ring.

"Yeah. He proposed officially." Tenten gushed.

"Wow!" Hinata's eyes got big. "That's really great!"

"Yeah, and you guys are going to be my bridesmaids." The three of them squealed happily. "Oh, please," Tenten said. "Did you expect any less?"

"When's the wedding? I need to know when to get the dress, and I need a hair appointment, and a facial." Ino was mentally trying to see how long she should plan ahead, when Tenten calmed her down.

"It's not for another month, you've got plenty of time. "

"But I'm so g-glad you really like him," Hinata said. Neji was her cousin, after all. "And when do you move into the new place?"

"After the wedding. There are still some renovations, apparently. Something about a broken support beam in the attic. They need to replace it."

"But you're happy, right?" Sakura asked. "Because if you're not, you don't need to go through with it."

"No worries, everything's great. I couldn't be happier. Now that that whore's out of my life."

"Yeah, she was horrible. I never even met her and I hate her. Ugh." Just thinking about Wakan put everyone in a bad mood, so they dropped the subject and moved onto wedding plans.

"Well, Neji and I don't have as much say as our parents do, but can you keep a secret?" She leaned in and her friends nodded eagerly. "If we don't like how the plans go, we're going to elope."

"Oh My GOD!" Sakura and Ino screamed together. Hinata just stared.

"You're s-so brave!" Hinata said. Tenten shrugged.

"Well, what matters most is your happiness," Sakura said. "So you've got every right. You're of age now, so it's legal." Everyone nodded in agreement.

"I think," Tenten mused, adjusting one of the buns in her hair, "that everything turned out very well. And, although this isn't a fairytale or anything, and this is going to sound lame, but there's going to be a happy ending." She blushed, embarrassed at her little confession, but her friends smiled, agreeing with every word.


	16. BONUS WEDDING CHAPPIE!

**A/N: This is a choose your own ending story. Oh yeah, I'm a genius. I gave you two options last time. 1. They elope. 2. They have a normal wedding in a chapel somewhere. I decided I wanted to write both. Yeah, I know. I'm a people-pleaser. Anyway, first, I wrote the normal wedding part. Then (and I'll indicate where the story switches) there's the eloping story. So, if you wanted the textbook wedding, then read on. If you want something more daring, go down a little further. **

* * *

**Third Person POV**

_**The Regular Wedding**_

"You're going to be late!" Her mother cried up the stairs. The brunette stared into the mirror of the room she grew up in one last time before gathering the big skirt of her white dress and heading down the stairs. It seemed she was always late to something.

She slipped her white satin heels on before leaving the room. She lived with her fiancee, but as it was her wedding day, she wanted to get ready at her mother's house.

They were getting married on the hill behind the church. It was just too nice a day to pass up the opportunity of being outside. She reached the bottom and spun around, her mother appraising her.

"You look wonderful!" She said, and tears leaked from the corners of her eyes.

"Mom!" The sixteen-year-old exclaimed. "The wedding hasn't started yet! If you cry through the whole thing, I'll never forgive you! Now help me with my hair." She turned and let her mother twist her hair up into a braid, then wind it up around itself into a complicated up-do.

Then the two of them loaded themselves into a limo and headed off to the church. On the way, they picked up the bridesmaids; Ino, Sakura and Hinata, each dressed in their blood-red dresses. As they piled into the car, they all squealed hello, hugged the bride, the brides mother, each other, and kept talking about how excited they were.

"You look gorgeous!" They all told her, at least a hundred times each. She was blushing profusely by the time they arrived at the church. The three girls and her mother surrounded her as they hurried into the building, trying to block her from the view of anyone. Sakura grasped the metal handle and swung it open, and Ino and Hinata ushered the bride-to-be inside.

There was a room in the back set up for the wedding party to get ready. Tenten sat, and had her makeup done for her, and then her bridesmaids took turns doing each other's. Once they were done, Tenten's mother asked them to leave, and give her a moment alone with her only daughter.

"Oh, I can't believe you're getting married!" Her mother sighed. Tenten looked at her in the mirror, disbelief on her face.

"What do you mean you can't believe it? You set it up!"

"Yeah, but...oh, it's too hard to explain. I still can't believe it. You'll be leaving the nest now..."

"Mother," Tenten sighed. "I've been living with Neji for almost two months now. I've already 'left the nest' as you said. Speaking of which, please never say it again." She looked herself over once more in the mirror. Then her ears filled with music. "Come on, Mom, get to your seat, it's starting." Her mother nodded, wiped her tears, and handed a bouquet of white roses to Tenten. The flowers were expertly arranged and wrapped with a white ribbon. It matched her dress perfectly. Everything was turning out so well that Tenten almost wanted to cry.

But she had decided long ago, when she was eleven or twelve and she had her first wedding fantasy, that that wasn't going to be the kind of girl she was. She didn't want to cry at her wedding. No tears, not even of joy. She'd express her happiness in a different way, though she hadn't decided how yet. She grabbed a few tissues and stuck them down inside the lining of her dress in case she _**did**_ cry, though, and then walked out into the yard.

There was an arch, woven with ivy, under which Neji stood, in his tuxedo, a priest behind him, and his three groomsmen beside him; Hiro, Kei, and Sasuke, Sakura's boyfriend. There was a white carpet rolled out between two set of chairs, for family and friends to sit. Pink rose petals were strewn across the carpet, and in the distance, Tenten could see the tent that had been set up for the reception party.

Tenten's mother sat in the front row, a camera at the ready, though her eyes were so blurry with tears that all her pictures would suck. The music kept playing, and the brunette watched as her bridesmaids walked up the aisle first, one by one. Then, she stood at the end of the carpet and waited. The music played a little differently, and that slight change was her cue to start walking. Everyone stood as she started her march. All eyes were on her. She kept hers straight ahead.

At the end, she would stand with her beloved and be married. Then they would party, and end the night romantically with snuggling under the stars. That was her vision, anyway.

She reached the end of the carpet, and took her pace beside Neji under the ivy-covered arch. Looking up at him, she blushed straight pink on every visible inch of her skin. He was so handsome in his tuxedo, with the perfect blue sky behind him, and...it was almost too much. She almost couldn't look at him.

"We are gathered here today..." the priest started, but she tuned him out, getting lost in Neji's eyes. The smell of lavender wafted from somewhere nearby, and she relaxed a bit. Neither had prepared vows, as the parents didn't want the ceremony to drag out too long, and so, soon, she was required to pay attention.

"Do you, Tenten, take this man, Neji, to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do." She smiled.

"And Do you, Neji take this woman, Tenten, to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do." He said without hesitation, and smiled back down at her.

"Then, by the powers vested in me by the father, son, and holy spirit, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now," he closed the book he read from, "kiss the bride."

He leaned down and their lips met, an almost electric current passing through them at that moment. They parted, and everyone cheered. He wrapped his arm around her waist and the two ran down the aisle together, as a wedded couple, through the church, rice and flowers petals thrown over them as they went, and into a limo that would take them to the tent after a little drive, giving everyone else a chance to walk there.

"So," Tenten said shyly in the back of the limo. She gathered her skirts around her to give Neji room to sit. "This is what it's like to be married?"

"I guess so." He replied. "Doesn't feel very different does it?"

"Not really." She shrugged. And they rode the rest of the way in silence, except for the occasional awkward laugh when their eyes met.

"Well, at least I get to throw the bouquet," Tenten said as they arrived. She climbed out of the car, and Neji helped her out.

"And I get to throw the garter," he winked at her. She blushed a bit.

"Well, that'll be the high point of this party, I suppose." They laughed. He leaned in and kissed her again.

"Well, we'll be together. That's always good."

"Mm-hmm." She giggled. And they walked, hand-in-hand to their wedding reception, prepared for every klink of the for on the glass, every "congratulations" every hug, all the crying people, and, most importantly, ready to get slammed. Their friends would be here, and they would without a doubt get drunker than drunk, so the happy couple might as well do the same.

I mean, hey. Don't all newlyweds?

--_**END**_--

* * *

**A/N: That was the normal wedding. What'd you think? I hoped you liked it. FROM HERE ON IT IS THE ELOPING PART OF THE STORY. IF THAT'S WHAT YOU CAME H ERE FOR, READ ON MY FRIENDS!**

* * *

**Third Person POV**

_**Eloping**_

They met up at a cafe in Sanctuary, one night, late, so their parents wouldn't know about it. Not that it mattered, considering they lived away from said parents. Either way, they didn't want to make their parents aware of their meeting in secret.

"This is beginning to get out of hand," Tenten said. "I've overheard what they're planning, ad they're going WAY over the top."

"What are they doing?" Neji asked, after ordering their coffee. "I haven't heard anything at all. My uncle goes over to your place, so I don't know a thing."

"They're planning fireworks, a horse and carriage, doves, they're catering the whole thing, and, I swear, I heard one of them talking about elephants. ELEPHANTS, Neji. Like we're supposed to ride on them!"

"Okay...that's just..." he couldn't think of a word better than 'unnecessary'. He put his head in his hands and sighed. "What can we do? They're so set on doing it their way that they're completely disregarding the opinions of the ones who have to suffer through that."

"Seriously. Ever ince I was twelve, I've wanted something on a beach, or in a church. Something normal, y'know?" Their coffee arrived and Tenten drank half of hers in a desperate attempt to drown herself. "I'm sick of this. I wish they'd just listen to me. I've practically been planning my own wedding since I was twelve! I know what I want!"

"Yeah..." Neji said. He closed his eyes in thought.

"If you're thinking of eloping," Tenten said, the effects of the caffeine beginning to kick in, "you can forget it. They'll _kill_ us. And then there's no hope of getting married." She inspected the ring on her finger and sighed.

"Well, I wasn't think of eloping, I was thinking of running away together and getting married."

"Neji, that's what eloping is."

"Oh. Well then I was thinking about eloping. Want to?"

"More than anything. But I'd feel bad because they're spending so much on this, and we wouldn't even be there to hate it."

"So? In truth, most of that expensive stuff will be gifts from people who owe my father money in hopes that he'll expunge their debt. So, really, it's free. You shouldn't worry. They should've asked us what we thought, or stopped before this entire thing sounded like a freaking circus." He finished his coffee and checked his watch. "It's almost midnight. We should head home."

"Why? School's out for the summer and we don't have a curfew?" Tenten drew circles on the table with her finger. "Let's stay out. Or we could start planning the trip."

"You mean we're really gonna do it?"

"I don't see why not. If they're not gonna listen to us, then we're not gonna listen to them." She said stubbornly. She put down some money for the check and walked out. Neji put some down too and followed her.

"So, where would you like to go?" He asked her. "I'm sure I can get plane tickets to anywhere."

"I want to stay in Konoha." She said. "I want out friends to come. But I don't want our parents to know about it."

"Sounds good." He threw his arm around her shoulder and together they walked back to their apartment.

The next day, they woke bright and early. They planned to get married in three days, on the date of their planned wedding, and at the same time, but just not show up. First, they had to fill in their friends. They decided to get them all together in one place, rather than keep explaining it over and over. And, that afternoon, at just about 1:30, they were all there. Sakura, Ino, Hinata, Kei, Hiro, and Sasuke, Neji's only school friend, and, coincidentally, Sakura's boyfriend.

"Okay," Tenten started. "Here's the deal. We've called you all here because we want you to be there at our wedding."

"We already got the invites, and we're supposed to be in the wedding party," Ino said.

"Um...not that wedding." Confused looks ran through the faces of everyone but Sasuke. Then they all realized. "Oh."

"Yeah. We're eloping. They're planning elephants and horses, and we just don't want ay of that, so we're running away. We want you guys to be there, though. As our witnesses." There was a moment of silence before anyone spoke.

"I'm in." It was Hiro. Kei seemed to still be thinking. Hiro, however crosses his arms and leaned back in his chair, and looked expectantly at everyone else.

"Alright. I've got nothing to lose." Kei.

"Hn." Sasuke. That was it for the boys. They were all down. Tenten turned to her friends.

"How about it you guys?"

"But," Ino started. "Don't you want this wedding? I mean your parents are going to all this trouble to--"

"They're going to the trouble, but they don't care what Neji and I want!" Tenten told her again. "That's why we're eloping. We want to do our own wedding. " Sakura and Hinata agreed, but Ino still was not swayed.

"I'm just not sure I like the idea of sneaking off like this..." she bit her thumb nail in thought.

"Well, I can give you some time to think about it, but if you tell our parents, I can promise you I'll never speak to you again. Tomorrow, noon, here. We're all gonna meet, alright?" Everyone nodded and went their separate ways.

The next day at noon, Ino agreed, but only because she didn't want to miss out on the wedding.

"Okay, well we're leaving at midnight tonight and staying at a hotel for a couple of days till the wedding. It's on the other side of town," Neji told everyone. They all said goodbye again, and at midnight, they gathered on the other side of town.

"Everyone here?" Tenten asked. Seven voices chorused back to her. They were ready. They grabbed their bags, hauled their bags to the closest hotel they could find and checked in. Tenten ended up sharing a room with Hinata, whils Sakura and Ino shared the other girls room.

"I'm glad things worked out for you two," Hinata said quietly, holding her legs to her chest.

"Thanks," Tenten said. "Are you excited to be my bridesmaid?"

"You know it!" They giggled. "G'night Tenten."

"Goodnight." They turned off the lights and got under their covers, but Tenten couldn't sleep. Tomorrow was, after all, her wedding day. The lights clicked off and she rolled over, trying desperately to sleep. She didn't want bags under her eyes, even if she was only going to be seen by about eight people.

* * *

In the morning, everyone dressed up and the group walked to town hall for the ceremony, nothing extravagant, just the basics: The couple to be wed, the justice to marry them, and the witnesses.

No one said anything, but they were all excited, and scared. Nervous, but happy. Everyone wanted to see this work out for th two of them.

And Tenten couldn't help herself. Neither could Neji. Sinfully, as they went through the ceremony, neither of them could take their thoughts off of what could possibly be happening at the planned wedding. They hadn't shown, and weren't going to. They were headed for the honeymoon right afterwards.

In their eyes, however, it was worth it. They got to plan it themselves, and had their friends there. And Beside the fact that they were going to be screamed at by angry parents and a pissed uncle, followed by possibly the silent treatment, they were looking forward to life together.

And that's what matters, right?

* * *

**Finally done! Jesus! I thought I'd never end it. Anyway, this is a relief, because out of the nineteen stories I've posted, only...-counts- about nine of them are finished. Nothing new until I finish something else. You can vote on what you want to see more of. Just send my a message about which you think should be updated next.**

**Anyway, hoped you liked it. I'm pretty bad with endings, so I might come back and edit this later...I'll let you know if I do, though.**


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